EoE is a recently recognized allergic inflammatory disease, characterized by swelling of the esophagus and its symptoms include vomiting, abdominal pain, regurgitation and dysphagia.
Due to the diverse and non-specific symptoms, EoE can be diagnosed only by esophageal biopsy.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial (SMILEE study) will evaluate the efficacy and safety of Viaskin Milk epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPITTM) in treating milk induced Eosinophilic Esophagitis in children ages from 4 to 17 years old.
As part of the deal, SMILEE will be carried out at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia under the supervision of Spergel.
Viaskin Milk, a ready-to-use and easy-to-administer form of allergen immunotherapy, is intended to induce clinical desensitization / tolerization to milk in subjects moderately to severely allergic to cow’ milk proteins.
The company said that specific immunotherapy of CMA might decrease the risk of relapse and might be the first treatment of EoE.
In addition, by using the epicutaneous route of administration, Viaskin Milk is able to start an immunomodulatory process while reducing the potential safety concerns related with systemic exposure to food allergens.
DBV Technologies chairman and CEO Pierre-Henri Benhamou said the company and Pr. Spergel are truly committed to improving the lives of EoE patients.
"There is a strong scientific rationale for the use of EPIT to treat EoE, and we believe that the Viaskin platform could offer a possible treatment for children suffering from this disease and we are conviced that this is great step forward in increasing Viaskin’s reach to allergic patients," Benhamou said.