“This can really change the lives of so many people,” explained Dr. Pierre-Henri Benhamou, Co-founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DBV Technologies, developer of the Viaskin® Patch, in a charming and thick French accent. “It is important for everyone to have a safe treatment for food allergy.” His conviction and belief in the Patch was palpable and exciting. I interviewed Dr. Benhamou and Natalie Donne, Director of Corporate Communication and Development, mostly out of curiosity: who were these masterminds that want to transform life with anaphylaxis by using a simple patch?
Thankfully, I had the honor of asking Dr. Benhamou and Ms. Donne for more insight about how and why they believe theViaskin® Patch may be a critical game changer. Their answers were refreshing and delightful, to be honest. My only regret is that I was not in the same city sitting down enjoying fascinating conversation over a marvelous meal while asking these questions.
The Viaskin Patch product candidates include the Viaskin Peanut Patch (currently in phase II clinical trials), the Viaskin Milk Patch (phase I/II) and the Viaskin House Dust Mite Patch (pre-clinical). The patch is a technology that is a tolerance induction treatment. Meaning, the immediate goal of the patch is to create a tolerance to an allergen so that the patient can experience an accidental ingestion and NOT go into anaphylaxis. Dr. Benhamou shared that he also hopes the future will bring a robust desensitization status to those using the Viaskin Patch to allow them to live a ‘normal’ life without fear. Visit DBV Technologies for more specific information.
“We are pediatricians first,” Dr. Benhamou made clear when I asked about what inspired him, a pediatric gastroenterologist, to treat life threatening food allergies. He spoke about the moment when he realized that many pediatric patients had milk allergies and there were no treatments— only dietary avoidance. He also recognized there were no easy and simple solutions for physicians to offer parents. He turned to one of the top allergists in the country to discuss solving this growing epidemic. Understanding children, Dr. Benhamou concluded that he needed a therapy that would work in sync with children’s natural behavior as opposed to a therapy that requires ingestion. I couldn’t agree with this more! My kid’s can remember to put on lotion everyday, but remember their vitamins or medications is a whole other story.
In 2002, the Viaskin Patch idea was born to address the need for a non-invasive treatment that would impact the immune system without entering the bloodstream. If success continues with the clinical trials, we could see the Viaskin Patch commercialized as early as 2018. To a parent, this feels like an eternity, but to a researcher, this time frame is par for the course. The path of a treatment from development, studies, clinical trials and FDA approval is quite long— thank goodness researchers have patience!
Missing the obvious, I asked about what the name Viaskin meant: Via-the-Skin. We had a chuckle over that one! DBV Technologies had a healthy presence at AAAAI 2015 with a combination of six presentations, posters and abstracts (check them out here). I did not attend this conference but enjoyed the lively Tweets about theViaskin® Patch as information was presented.
A few of my friends participate in Patch trials and I’m in full awe of the bravery of their children and their own motivation to find solutions for everyone. Some travel and pay their own expenses just to participate. They tell me it is worth it. Check out my good friend Lianne Mandelbaum’s son, who is featured in this piece aired on CBSNEWS…
VIDEO: New-data-on-peanut-allergy-patch-shows-promise
Curious about what it’s like to be in the Patch trial? Take a peek at Sharon Wong, author of Nutfree Wok, wrote this informative article, “How do kids get into a Food Allergy Clinical Trial,” which provides details on how to find a clinical trial. In another post, “Food Allergy Research at Stanford,” Sharon honestly talks about why her family participates in studies, including the Viaskin Peanut Patch. Lori Fletcher, one of the amazing advocates who helped California pass their recent stock epinephrine legislation, tirelessly shares with me the study and what it means to her family. It’s fascinating to me to say the least.
What does Dr. Benhamou want us parents to know? His inspiring answer took me by surprise and reminded me of Vincent Van Gogh’s famous quote. He responded, “We need the help of everybody because we have to complete the trails to develop the peanut and milk patch.” Truly, all of us, scientists, researchers, investors, trial participants and others are in this together: seeking and working towards food allergy solutions. Dr. Benhamou simply wants what we want: to find a solution that will save lives.
disclaimer: DBV Technologies did not ask me to write kind things about their company, study or practices. I am completely curious about who and what is driving these patch studies that my friends are participating in. We can read plenty online about what the Patch, I wanted to know if it is here to stay and why. My hope is always to offer you food for thought regarding life with food allergies and asthma.
Light a Candle today in Joseph's Memory
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..
Great post! It’s always nice to get a feel for the people behind the science, And 2018 will be here before we know it…
Heather,
Agreed! I was just so curious to see what is driving our researchers. There are some that really inspire me, like Dr. Ruchi Gupta, Dr. Paul Bryce, etc. It give me an added dose of hope. Sometimes I think we are isolated from the future and diving deeper into the folks who are our future simply fascinates me.
Great piece that gives us insight into the development of the patch. Our family is empowered by participating in this clinical trial . We hope that it leads to widespread viable treatment for all food allergies as well as other conditions.
Thanks Lianne and thank you for allowing me to include your family! I am still in awe that we are looking at options. 14 years ago when my son was diagnosed, I thought there were never be movement. There were so few with food allergies. Here is hoping to the future!
Hello Lianne! I am so excited about this research and my family and I commend you and your family and are eternally grateful beyond words to you all for your participation in this study!!! My son Odin would gladly participate but I on the other hand would be terrified!
Caroline,
Just curious, since you might be involved: My son Odin has a severe peanut/tree nut allergy but his peanut allergy is also topical! So any child/person that has eaten peanuts or related product and not washed their hands well can touch him without him or the other person knowing and he will have a reaction. His skin changes to bright red splotches which cover most if not all of his body, like the worst sun burn I’ve ever seen, sometimes there are welts (large misshapen hives) and within 10 mins. someone has to administer the Epi-Pen or the reaction lasts up to a week which means missing school and being miserably uncomfortable the whole time!
So I was wondering if anyone knows how this would affect someone with a topical allergy. I saw the video about the boy who said that when a piece of a cookie touched his lip he broke out & he is in the study using the patches; does he have a topical allergy? I will keep reading & doing research now that I found this! We are very excited to see where this goes, even if it takes 10+ years!
Thank you all who are involved more than I could ever say!!!
Hi Selena, my son is in the patch trial as well. I think that if your son has enough intact skin on his back and/or arms, he could participate in a trial or use the patch when it becomes available. In order to participate in a trial, there are inclusion criteria (they want people with severe allergies) and exclusion criteria (but not so severe that it’s dangerous to participate). If you are at all interested, I recommend that you discuss with your allergist who can advise you. When I first met our trial doctor, I was just like you, concerned that my son was too allergic to qualify or safely participate. Our doctor responded that children like my son (those who are the most severely allergic) need help the most. It’s not an easy decision. We are very happy that we decided to participate in the patch trial but it wasn’t a decision that we entered into lightly. Good luck to you!!! 🙂
Thank you Sharon for sharing your wisdom and time! As always, ready to help out a fellow parent.
Terrific work, Caroline.
A compliment from the GREAT HENRY means a lot!