Could poop pills be the next treatment for food allergies?

Lauren writes about healthcare AI data interoperability, the science behind public health recommendations, and pharmaceutical advances in the rare disease space.

In an early-stage clinical trial, six participants with peanut allergy showed improved tolerance to small peanut exposures up to four months after they received fecal microbiome transplant using stool capsules. 

The results of the Phase 1 clinical trial, published in Science Translational Medicine on Wednesday, suggests fecal microbiome transplant has the potential to be a viable treatment option for peanut allergy, according to experts. 

“We, as the food allergy community, have been waiting for these results,” said Stephen Tilles, an allergist-immunologist and clinical professor at the University of Washington, who was not a part of this study. Tilles described the study findings as “very exciting,” even if it may not be “ready for prime time” yet.