LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A large-scale clinical trial at an Arkansas research institute and other nationwide institutions to find a treatment for peanut allergies has been a success.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that Arkansas Children’s Research Institute is one of 66 institutions across 10 countries participating in the study, which gradually increases peanut protein doses. The goal is to increase tolerance in allergic patients.
Two-thirds of children in the treatment group were able to tolerate the equivalent of two peanuts by the end of the trial, as opposed to only four percent of the children who received a placebo.
Dr. Stacie Jones, who ran the institute’s involvement in the study, says the goal is not to enable those with allergies to eat peanuts, but rather to reduce the severity from accidental exposure.
