Skip to main content

Information updates

New peanut allergy treatment program for babies in Australia

Ten paediatric hospitals across five states have partnered with the National Allergy Centre of Excellence (NACE), hosted at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), to be the first globally to introduce a nation-wide peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) program into mainstream care in Australia. 

Babies diagnosed with peanut allergy will be offered an OIT Program under a world-first model aiming to transform allergy care:

  • Under the model, children will follow a carefully planned daily dosing schedule of peanut powder, taken at home, over two years.
  • If successful, it is hoped that more hospitals and private allergy clinics will adopt the program, including in regional and remote areas.

The intention of the ADAPT OIT Program is to change the trajectory of Allergy Development via an Accelerated Pathway to Tolerance.  The program aims to change the way the most common food allergy among Australian school aged children is treated from strictly avoiding peanut in diets, to safely building a tolerance to the allergen and hopefully achieving remission.

The free program is only available to children under 12 months, diagnosed with peanut allergy, and who are receiving care by a clinical immunology/allergy specialist (allergist) at one of the participating hospitals listed below. The program capacity at each hospital will depend on demand and resources. Those eligible will follow a carefully planned daily dosing schedule of peanut powder, taken at home, over two years.

Unlike OIT clinical trials, the treatment would be offered as a new standardised model of care. This will be the first peanut allergy treatment program offered in Australian hospitals outside of a clinical trial setting.

The NACE, which is funded by the Federal Government, will lead an evaluation study to analyse the program’s results. If successful, it’s hoped more hospitals and private allergy clinics will then adopt the program, including in regional and remote areas. Like all treatments, OIT may not be suitable for everyone and it does not guarantee remission.

While on the program, children will be prescribed an Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) Action Plan for Anaphylaxis https://www.allergy.org.au/hp/anaphylaxis/ascia-action-plan-for-anaphylaxis and adrenaline injector. Families will receive a comprehensive education pack and have access to an allergist on-call.

Eligible babies will be referred into the program by their allergist from participating hospitals:

  • Victoria - The Royal Children’s Hospital
  • Western Australia - Perth Children’s Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital
  • Queensland - Queensland Children’s Hospital
  • South Australia - Women’s and Children’s Health Network
  • New South Wales - Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick; The Children’s Hospital at Westmead;  John Hunter Children’s Hospital, Newcastle; Campbelltown Hospital; Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown.

The NACE website includes:

For more details email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Information about oral immunotherapy (OIT) for food allergy is also available on the ASCIA website:

This news item was issued on 31 July 2024 by Jill Smith, CEO of ASCIA, the peak professional body for clinical immunology and allergy in Australia and New Zealand.