Australia is set to become the first country to introduce a nation-wide peanut allergy program into mainstream care.
Babies with peanut allergies across the country will be offered treatment through a world-first peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) program, which aims to transform allergy care.
Ten paediatric hospitals across five states have partnered with the National Allergy Centre of Excellence (NACE), at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), to run the program.
NACE Director Professor Kirsten Perrett said the ADAPT OIT Program aimed to change the way the most common food allergy among Australian school-aged children was treated, from strictly avoiding peanut in diets to safely building a tolerance to the allergen and hopefully achieving remission.
Professor Perrett said the free program was only available to children under 12 months, diagnosed with peanut allergy and who were receiving care by an allergist at one of the participating hospitals.
She said the program capacity at each hospital would depend on demand and resources.
“Those eligible will follow a carefully planned daily dosing schedule of peanut powder, taken at home, over two years.”
Professor Perrett said unlike OIT clinical trials, the treatment would be offered as a new standardised model of care.
“This will be the first peanut allergy treatment program offered in Australian hospitals outside of a clinical trial setting.
“Oral immunotherapy is being variably implemented around the world using different approaches, making it difficult to assess the results, including the long-term outcomes for children, their families and the health system.
“Under this Australia-wide model, a food allergy test at the end of the treatment will help determine if remission was achieved.”
Professor Perrett said the children would then be followed in routine clinical care for at least 12 months to evaluate acceptability, safety and effectiveness, quality of life and long-term outcomes.
“Ultimately, we want to change the trajectory of allergic disease in Australia so that more children can go to school without the risk of a life-threatening peanut reaction.”
