Working on New Ways to Fight Hay Fever
Possibilities include injectable and under-the-tongue therapies

(HealthDay News) -- People who suffer from ragweed allergy might one day have new options for quelling seasonal symptoms.

A new, long-acting vaccine that provides relief with fewer injections than traditional allergy-shot regimens has shown promise in clinical trials. And that's good news for those who want a more convenient way to knock out symptoms.

"What you would hope is that you would get fewer injections less often, less likelihood of an allergic reaction and the same or better improvement in your symptoms," Dr. William C. Howland III, an allergist and medical director at Lovelace Scientific Resources in Austin, Texas, told HealthDay.

The pipeline of investigational treatments also includes allergy drops taken orally, avoiding the sting of needles and the need for frequent visits to the allergist.

Ragweed, a flowering plant capable of producing up to a billion pollen grains, is the most common cause of seasonal allergy, or "hay fever" as it's often called, says the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Up to 20 percent of Americans experience symptoms during ragweed season, which begins in late summer and continues until the plants succumb to frost.

Like any allergic reaction to pollen-producing plants, the foundation explains, ragweed can cause symptoms such as itchy, puffy eyes; runny, itchy or stuffy nose; sneezing; and an itchy, inflamed throat. Severe allergy sufferers might even experience asthma attacks, chronic sinusitis, headaches and impaired sleep.

Though allergy vaccines typically require months of weekly injections to achieve an immune response, an experimental vaccine promises relief in fewer doses.

Howland presented research at a meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology demonstrating that four shots of Pollinex Quattro, a vaccine being developed by the European pharmaceutical company Allergy Therapeutics, is safe and effective.

Another study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, compared the new vaccine regimen with a placebo. Pollinex Quattro was well-tolerated and effective, the researchers reported.

But vaccines are not the only strategy for arresting ragweed symptoms.

Greer Laboratories, based in Lenoir, N.C., is evaluating a type of "sublingual immunotherapy," or SLIT, which means it's a treatment administered under the tongue. In 2008, the company conducted a phase 2 multicenter clinical trial involving adults with inflammation and irritation of the eyes and nose caused by short ragweed pollen. The trial results have yet to be announced.

With sublingual therapy, allergens are absorbed into the body through the membranes of the mouth. Since it's self-administered, it's more convenient.

But some experts cite ongoing questions about its effectiveness, appropriate use, dosage and safe administration.

"Since SLIT treatment is administered at home with no direct medical supervision, the physician will need to provide specific instructions to patients on how to manage adverse reactions, unplanned treatment interruptions, situations in which the dose should be withheld and dosing adjustments for any or all of these variables," Dr. Linda Cox, assistant clinical professor of medicine at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said in a prepared statement.

Even if treatments now under development never reach the market, allergy shots already available effectively treat 90 percent of people with ragweed allergy, according to the academy. It also recommends a few simple steps to prevent or minimize symptoms:

• Keep windows closed in your home and car to keep pollen outside. Use an air conditioner, which filters, cools and dries the air.
• Stay indoors when pollen counts are highest, typically between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Check daily pollen counts for your area.
• Change clothes after spending time outdoors. Avoid drying laundry outside.
• Shower before bedtime to wash pollen from your hair and face and keep it off your pillow while you sleep.

On the Web

To learn more about hay fever, visit the American Lung Association.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; William C. Howland III, M.D., allergist, and medical director, Lovelace Scientific Resources, Austin, Texas; Allergy Therapeutics PLC, West Sussex, United Kingdom; Greer Laboratories, Lenoir, N.C.; March 13-17, 2009, annual meeting, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, news release, Aug. 5, 2008; American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, news release, Nov. 6, 2008; Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Landover, Md.
Author: Karen Pallarito
Publication Date: Sept. 30, 2009
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