Four-injection vaccine holds hope for hayfever
A vaccine could see an improvement to hayfever symptoms, its makers say
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Thursday, 05, Jun 2008 09:00
A vaccine injected just four times could help to reduce the symptoms of hayfever, British scientists have claimed.
The makers of the vaccine, Allergy Therapeutics, argue that trials show Pollinex Quattro had statistically significant clinical benefits compared to placebo (dummy drugs) in trials.
The company believes Pollinex Quattro has the potential to transform the treatment of allergy.
In the drug's trials scientists gave 1,028 patients at centres across Europe and North America either a placebo or Pollinex Quattro.
Participants had suffered allergies to grass pollen for an average of over 20 years and had moderate to severe symptoms.
Allergy Therapeutics said there was a 13.3 per cent improvement with Pollinex Quattro over placebo and the drug was well tolerated.
Relief from hayfever symptoms was seen three weeks after treatment.
"Proof of efficacy and safety of Pollinex Quattro in this grass study is a breakthrough for allergy sufferers," said Professor Tony Frew, professor of allergy and respiratory medicine at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
"Patients in this study showed significant and clinically meaningful improvement in their symptoms with a very good safety and tolerability profile. Importantly, because so few injections are required, compliance rates were excellent and this should be an area of focus for clinicians."
Allergy Therapeutics chief executive Keith Carter described the study as a "landmark".
"This product has the potential to redefine the market for allergy products, offering sufferers a safe and effective therapy with a much more convenient treatment regime than is currently available," he added.
The findings, which were outlined today in the New Scientist, will be presented later this week at the meeting of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology.