Atlanta boy with peanut allergy participates in clinical trial for peanut patches

ATLANTA - Food allergies send children to the emergency room every three minutes in the United States.

For parents who have children with food allergies those statistics are scary.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta hopes to reverse some of those statistics and was instrumental in a new worldwide clinical trial involving children with peanut allergies.

For families whose children have food allergies, they are always policing food options whether it be in the school cafeteria, restaurants for dinner or even birthday parties.

Kaleb Billeter loves the freedom of playing and singing karaoke with his sister Ally, but he does not have that same freedom when it is time to eat.

The 4-year-old has peanut and tree nut allergies, which his family has been vigilantly watching closely since he was born.

"We discovered Kaleb’s allergy when he was six months old, so he had hives all over his body and part of that is because we were eating peanut butter," mom Liz Billeter explains.

Once the family discovered the peanut allergy, everything changed in hopes of keeping Kaleb out of the emergency room.

This little guy was part of a worldwide clinical trial involving nickel-sized peanut patches that were placed on the skin every day for 24 hours.

"He wore it for over two years and then he graduated from the study here recently. The end result is that now in order to keep his body used to the peanuts he takes a small amount of peanut each day to continue that desensitization," mom said with relief.

"I had to wear a patch, and it had peanuts in it and now every day I have to eat a little bit of peanut butter every day," Kaleb said with a smile.

Dr. Brian Vickery of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta was one of the researchers for the trial and is very hopeful

"It is not a cure, but what it does is change the sensitivity level, so while you are being careful to avoid peanut in the environment.

"If an accident happens at the ice cream shop or daycare. Those kids are protected," Dr. Vickery commented.

Parents and doctors are anxiously awaiting FDA approval of the peanut patch.

Meanwhile, more trials will begin this summer with older children.