Can a Toothpaste Assist Defend Adults Allergic to Peanuts?

Nov. 16, 2023 – A brand new toothpaste is displaying promise as a therapy to assist adults who’re allergic to peanuts tolerate rising quantities of peanut protein.

The investigational toothpaste is labeled INT301 and it met its security objectives in an early randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Thirty-two adults, ages 18-55, who had been allergic to peanuts, had been enrolled within the 4-month trial. The individuals had been randomly positioned into teams that acquired both rising quantities of the peanut protein within the toothpaste to check how a lot they may tolerate safely or a placebo toothpaste that had no peanut proteins. The toothpaste was squeezed from a metered dispenser to manage the quantity. 

Neither the individual giving the individuals the toothpaste, nor the affected person knew which sort of toothpaste they obtained, to assist remove potential bias. 

“INT301 demonstrated security throughout all therapy teams,” mentioned the examine’s lead writer, William Berger, MD, an allergist and advisor for Intrommune, a biotechnology firm based mostly in New York Metropolis, which developed the toothpaste.

Kristin Sokol, MD, MPH, an allergist/immunologist with Schreiber Allergy in Rockville, MD, mentioned, “As of now, the one choices we have now for meals allergy therapy and administration are to inform our sufferers to utterly keep away from a meals and carry epinephrine for his or her total lives,” one other oral immunotherapy. 

Oral immunotherapy is time consuming, and there are substantial logistic concerns. This toothpaste provides a neater choice that households can match into their day by day schedules, she mentioned.

“I am at all times searching for choices like that,” Sokol mentioned. “Clearly there are extra research that should be completed. I actually like the security information on this. The zero incidence of anaphylaxis is absolutely necessary.”