A peanut-allergy drug could hit shelves in 2018

A small French pharmaceutical company has discovered a way to help the world's millions of peanut allergy sufferers. The company, DBV Technologies, has developed a patch similar to a nicotine patch that people wear on their skin to increase their tolerance to peanuts. In the most recent testing round of the drug, called Viaskin Peanut, some peanut allergy sufferers were able to eat as many as four peanuts without experiencing any problems.

The drug has received fast-track testing approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is already far along in the testing stages. DBV Technologies expects to start selling the drug in the U.S. by the first half of the year in 2018.

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