INDIANAPOLIS: Scientists have made progress towards developing a drug to prevent peanut allergy caused by peanut consumption.
Scientists say that the compound is being tested on rats in the lab right now, and the drug will not be available to people any time soon.
In preliminary tests, however, researchers discovered that the drug protected laboratory rats from severe peanut-induced reactions for more than two weeks. However, experts recognise that animal data does not always apply to humans.
The researchers’ goal, according to Mark Kaplan, chair of the microbiology department at Indiana University School of Medicine, is to develop a self-administered injection that people with peanut allergies can use once every two weeks or once a month.
This medicine will not solve the problem, but it will provide an extra layer of protection for people with allergies.
