Major research conducted in Cork has led to a breakthrough in the provision of care to those who suffer from peanut allergies.

Jonathan Hourihane is Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at University College Cork and Principal Investigator at the INFANT Centre, who were responsible for the research.

He explained that nearly 500 children were involved in the study, which found that it is possible to decrease reactivity to peanuts.

"This is going to revolutionise how they go about their family life. All of this is going to be safer and more accessible for these families, who sometimes get excluded from events because other people don't want to take the risk with the child."

The drug that is being developed to treat the allergy will come in the form of a capsule or a sachet of powder, which will be eaten in an ordinary food that the child tolerates and built up gradually over six months.

Trials are still ongoing, but Jonathan expects it to be licensed in the EU by 2020.

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