If you suffer from seasonal allergies to grass pollen, but don’t want to endure long courses of weekly allergy shots, a new sublingual form of immunotherapy currently under review by the FDA may interest you.
Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is an alternative way to treat allergies without injections. Patients receive small doses of an allergen under the tongue to boost tolerance to the substance and reduce symptoms. SLIT is widely accepted and used in European, South American, and Asian countries as well as in Australia but has not been FDA approved for use in the United States.
Developed by the drugmaker Merck, the new treatment would be taken daily throughout the allergy season for three years.
Unlike antihistamines and decongestants that just temporarily relieve allergy symptoms—sneezing, itching, and watery eyes—immunotherapy gradually re-trains the immune system to tolerate what would normally trigger an allergic reaction.
If ragweed is your trigger, you’ll be happy to know that Merck also recently applied for FDA approval to sell an immunotherapy tablet for ragweed pollen.
With the allergy season upon us, learn more ways to find relief and promote healthy respiratory function in these posts and articles:
