A drug that silences peanut allergies?

A recent study has found that a botanical drug could provide the key to effective treatments for peanut allergies.

A team led by Xiu-Min Li, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Center for Chinese Herbal Therapy for Allergy and Asthma at the US Mount Sinai School of Medicine, found Food Allergy Herbal Formula (FAHF-2) produced long-term protection following treatment against peanut-induced anaphylaxis in mice.

The formula protected peanut-allergic mice from anaphylaxis for more than 36 weeks — one-quarter of the mouse lifespan — after treatment was discontinued.

These findings update previous research done by Li and her colleagues, where the same drug was shown to be effective for preventing anaphylactic reactions for up to four weeks following treatment.

“Food allergy is a serious and sometimes fatal condition for which there is no cure,” said Li.

“There is an urgent need for effective therapies to prevent and treat those who suffer from food allergies and FAHF-2 could prove to be a major advancement in this field.”

FAHF-2 has received investigational new drug approval from the US Food and Drug Administration. Human clinical trials are underway at Mount Sinai to evaluate the safety and early efficacy of FAHF-2 on multiple food allergies, including peanut, tree nut, fish and shellfish.

“This study reinforces previous studies showing that this botanical drug has the potential to be developed into the first available and effective treatment for patients with peanut allergies and other food allergies,” said study co-author Hugh Sampson, Professor of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

The findings are published online in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.