Visit www.dbv-technologies.com/en and you’ll see plenty of grounds for hope if you or someone you know is struggling with an allergy. Allergies have become something of a 21st century scourge, with everything from house dust mites, cows’ milk, white fish and peanuts to hens’ eggs and crab causing issues for millions.
In the past, lots of different approaches have been taken to tackle allergies. These have included injecting sufferers with antigens (a sometimes dangerous approach), to oral drops. Other techniques, such as those using epicutaneous immunotherapy, are gaining in popularity. This approach basically seeks to get the body used to the antigens that are causing the allergic reactions – this is called tolerization or desensitization. It does so without directly breaking the skin barrier and without antigens being introduced straight into the person’s bloodstream.
The means by which this is done can be seen below. This small adhesive patch contains tiny amounts of the antigen to which the patient is allergic. When placed upon the skin, heat from the body turns these antigens into liquid form and they are taken up by the body through the skin. This starts the tolerization process.
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