Hope for new hay fever treatment

Tuesday September 11th, 2012

A new vaccination technique could radically improve treatment for hay fever, British researchers reported today.

The technique, reported today, could mean massive reductions in vaccination doses.

The London-based researchers say the trick is to inject the vaccine into the skin - intradermally - rather than underneath it - sub-cutaneously.

They report findings of research with volunteers who suffer from hay fever. Initial injections of grass pollen caused reactions to the skin, creating lumps up to 10 cm in diameter.

A series of six intradermal injections led to a 90 per cent reduction in the size of the lump over ten weeks, according to the study reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

The research took place at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust. Researchers are now launching a major trial of the technique.

They are seeking 90 volunteers to take part.

Researcher Dr Stephen Till, of King's College London, said: "The results of our study are hugely exciting.

"We now want to find out if this process can also switch off grass allergy in the nose and improve hay fever symptoms, so we are today launching the PollenLITE clinical trial to further test our new approach."

He added: "PollenLITE is a major trial that has the potential to identify a new treatment that is more effective, convenient and cheaper for the NHS than the current alternative.

"Crucially, if this approach proves to be effective it would define a new scientific and clinical principle that could also be applied to other allergic diseases such as asthma and food allergies. This could be a pivotal study in immunological research."

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology September 11 2012

Tags: Allergies & Asthma | UK News

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