A study indicates that an experimental drug can protect people from potentially deadly allergic reactions from eating peanuts by accident.

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The study, to be published in the March 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, was presented Monday to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Denver.

The study was led by researchers at National Jewish Medical and Research Center and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. They found that a new antibody treatment raised the average level at which study participants began reacting to peanuts from about half a peanut to almost nine peanuts.

The new monthly shots for people with peanut allergies aren't a cure. But doctors believe they should let these people avoid severe complications if they unknowingly eat one or two peanuts, the typical accidental exposure.

"If future studies bear out this initial promise, (the treatment) could not only save lives, but help lift a cloud of fear that people with peanut allergies live under every time they eat," said Dr. Donald Leung.

About 1.5 million people in this country are allergic to peanuts, the leading cause of allergy deaths. Each year, thousands of people rush to hospital emergency rooms with peanut reactions, and about 50 to 100 people die after accidentally eating peanuts.

The problem is so serious that many people have to eat at a peanut-free table or even in an isolated room. Some airlines have stopped serving peanuts, so people who are allergic are not in danger of even getting a whiff of the nut.