New Immunotherapy products are to be launched in UK this month.
The great news is that ALK -Abello (UK) have been awarded license to sell two novel immunotherapy products in the UK and these will be available at Community Pharmacy’s on prescription from Allergists at the end of this month.
They will be joining the already licensed oral immunotherapy for common Timothy Grass Pollen induced Hay Fever (marketed as Grazax) which has been a phenomenal success in curing severe Hay Fever for the last decade, we now have Itulazax and Acarizax available in Community Pharmacies across the UK.
Itulazax is specific for Silver Birch Tree Pollen allergy causing Spring hay fever and which also causes the Oral Allergy Syndrome to fresh stone fruits and raw vegetables.
Acarizax is specific for the common House Dust mites Dermatophagoides Pteronysinnus and Farinae. These are the little critters responsible for triggering allergic asthma, rhinitis, and eczema.
All three products are administered as a wafer tablet placed under the tongue daily called Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT). The treatment is effective within months of commencing treatment and if taken for 3 consecutive years results in an actual cure of the allergy (70% efficacy). The treatment is safe and only likely side effect is oral itching at commencement of therapy. It can safely be taken at home after the initial dose is taken under medical supervision. The only drawback is the price being just over GBP100 per month which puts it beyond many allergy sufferers’ budgets, but hopefully this treatment will become available on the NHS to those individuals who are not responding adequately to standard antihistamines, nasal sprays and inhalers.
