New drug helps those with peanut allergy avoid deadly reaction

A new drug for peanut allergies reduces the allergic reaction in case the person accidentally eats a peanut or two. — dpa

Lauren Tilmont didn’t believe it when her doctor told her a few years ago that he had a treatment that might allow her to eat peanuts, despite a lifelong allergy to them. “The first thing I told him was, ‘You’re crazy. That doesn’t happen’,” said Tilmont, 25.

She had been told nearly her whole life that peanuts could kill her. She lived in fear of them. But Tilmont decided to give her doctor’s treatment plan a try. He gave her a tiny bit of peanut protein and monitored her in his office for allergic reactions.