A new program should help children with peanut allergies go into remission. 

A clinical trial by Melbourne's Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) has found two treatments for peanut allergies that induce remission and desensitisation in school-aged children.

A trial involving 201 children aged between one and 10 with peanut allergies has been running in Melbourne and Adelaide over four years.

About half of the children in the trial have gone into remission, allowing them to eat peanuts safely. A quarter of the children demonstrated decreased sensitivity.

The treatments consists of probiotic and oral immunotherapy combined, and the gradual introduction of the allergenic food.

Professor Mimi Tang - an allergy specialist - says the treatments are preferable to peanut avoidance.

“We know that avoiding peanuts is not easy for families or children who suffer from peanut allergy - it's got significant lifestyle restrictions that lead to a very reduced quality of life,” Professor Tang has told reporters.

“So we're very very excited because it opens the door for a large population of children affected by food allergy, and peanut allergy in particular, to benefit.”