Peer-reviewed article
Efficacy and safety of epicutaneous immunotherapy in children with peanut allergy with atopic comorbidities
Amy M. Scurlock, David Mark Fleischer, George Du Toit, Nicolette J. T. Arends, Jacqueline A. Pongracic et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study tested a peanut allergy patch treatment (VIASKIN peanut) in young children aged 1 to 3 years who also had other allergic conditions like eczema or asthma. The treatment worked equally well whether or not children had these other conditions, and it was generally safe across all groups. The patch significantly improved children's tolerance to peanuts compared to placebo after 12 months.
Key points
- Responder rates were significantly greater with VP250 versus placebo regardless of presence of atopic comorbidities
- No significant interaction effect between children with atopic comorbidities and those without
- Safety profile was generally similar across subgroups with no additional safety signals
- No clinically meaningful change in severity of atopic dermatitis in those receiving VP250
- Rates of anaphylaxis were higher in children with atopic dermatitis or concomitant food allergy receiving VP250, but these imbalances also occurred in placebo group
Limitations
This is a subgroup analysis of a main trial, so findings for specific subgroups may have less statistical power. The study only included children aged 1-3 years, so results may not apply to older children with peanut allergy.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is a high prevalence rate of atopic comorbidities, including atopic dermatitis (AD), asthma, and concomitant food allergy (CFA), in children with peanut allergy. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether concomitant atopic comorbidities affect the safety and efficacy of VIASKIN peanut patch (patch containing 250 µg peanut protein [VP250]). METHODS: EPITOPE was a phase 3, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to assess treatment response to VP250, as measured by eliciting dose at 12 months, in children with peanut allergy aged 1 to 3 years. This subgroup analysis assessed response rates for prespecified subgroups, including children with asthma, AD/eczema, and CFA. The safety profile of VP250 was evaluated by atopic condition in all randomized participants who received at least 1 dose. RESULTS: Responder rates were significantly greater with VP250 vs placebo, irrespective of the presence of atopic conditions. There was no significant interaction effect between participants with an atopic comorbidity and those without. The safety profile was generally similar across subgroups without any additional safety signals. There was no clinically meaningful change in severity of AD in those receiving VP250, regardless of baseline AD status. Rates of anaphylaxis were higher in those with AD or CFA receiving VP250 vs those without; however, these imbalances were also observed in the placebo group. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that 12 months of treatment with VP250 was effective in desensitizing children with peanut allergy aged 1 to 3 years, with no difference in efficacy and a favorable safety profile, regardless of the presence of atopic comorbidities. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03211247.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Epicutaneous immunotherapy using VIASKIN peanut patch (VP250) containing 250 µg peanut protein, applied for 12 months
- Population
- Children aged 1 to 3 years with peanut allergy, including subgroups with atopic dermatitis, asthma, and concomitant food allergies
Key finding
Responder rates were significantly greater with VP250 versus placebo across all subgroups defined by atopic comorbidity status
Scurlock et al. · OpenAlex · 8 Apr 2025