Promising Peanut Allergy Treatment Reduces Risk Of Life-Threatening Reactions, Especially In Kids

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new treatment to protect people with peanut allergies is ready for FDA review.

A study of the treatment revealed that giving controlled doses of peanut protein to allergy sufferers -- particularly between the ages of 4 and 17 -- over a six-month period can build up tolerance to the food.

The study by the New England Journal of Medicine found that two out of three study participants who ingested the peanut protein drug for six months was able to eat the equivalent of two peanuts without a serious reaction.

The goal of the treatment is not to cure the allergy, but to reduce the risk that an accidental exposure to peanuts will trigger a life-threatening reaction.

Right now, there is no FDA-approved peanut allergy treatment.