'Peanut patch' could help kids with peanut allergy

Kids who are allergic to peanuts may benefit from a 'peanut patch' - a skin patch containing peanut protein - applied daily, according to international and Australian research. The study across 31 international sites, including three in Australia, found that 35 per cent of children who received the peanut patch responded to the treatment, compared to just 13 percent with the placebo patch. The results were statistically significant but they did not quite meet an agree pre-trial definition of a clinically significant response that was recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration. An accompanying editorial says doctors will have to determine with patients whether this response rate makes the peanut patch worthwhile.