The James Paget has become the first hospital in the country to provide a Peanut Allergy Desensitisation clinic using the newly approved drug Palforzia.

Approval by NICE is the latest step in five years of extensive research into peanut allergies, one of the most common food allergies that affects more than six million people in Europe and America.

James Paget University Hospitals NHS Trust has been part of the global ARTEMIS research trial, which involved 175 children aged 4-17 years across seven European countries, to develop an oral immunotherapy to tackle peanut allergies.

ARTEMIS saw young patients receive steadily increased doses of the drug over a period of up to 40 weeks, under strictly controlled conditions, while others received a placebo.

In consequence to the successful outcomes from the trial, the Trust has become the first hospital licensed for use of Palforzia in the clinic, funded through the James Paget Hospital Charity’s Innovation Fund. Initially, the clinic will support 10-12 children in the first year of operation, who will receive the drug orally in escalating doses to desensitise them to peanut proteins.

Dr John Chapman, Consultant Paediatrician at the James Paget, said:

“Approval is a big step forward for people with peanut allergies. Having this treatment in place as an option is a vital part of supporting people with peanut allergies, many of whom are very young when this allergy is discovered.

“We are proud that the Trust is the first in the country to offer this treatment – with special thanks to the young patients and their families that took part in the ARTEMIS trial to get us to this point.”