DBV-Technologies – making the world a safer place for kids and adults alike!

French medical research company DBV-Technologies (http://www.dbv-technologies.com/en/) has been working on some very practical products which it hopes will offer hope to pediatric allergy sufferers and their parents alike.

The Viaskin patch is a very discreet adhesive patch
Source: http://www.dbv-technologies.com

Allergies have become far more widespread in recent years, manifesting themselves in many different foodstuffs: white fish, seafood, cow’s milk, hen’s eggs, various kinds of nuts etc. Symptoms engendered by allergic reactions vary widely. In some cases, it may involve rashes and diarrhoea, for others the consequences can be much more serious. For instance, hundreds of people die from anaphylactic shock in the USA alone every year after eating peanuts.

Rather than use traditional methods like injections and drops, Paris-based DBV-Technologies looked into an epicutaneous immunotherapy method. This took the form of an adhesive patch, which you can see below. The Viaskin patch, as it’s known, is simply placed on the patient’s arm. It can be left there as long as desired, and taken off at any time. It works by enabling small amounts of antigens to enter the body via the safe route of the skin, rather than the riskier direct injection into the bloodstream route.