Tagged With "Immunotherapy"

AAFA does not support the changes proposed by USP because we believe they pose a real threat to quality of care. We strongly urge the USP to keep existing guidelines for allergen immunotherapy in place so that millions of patients across the United States can continue to receive the treatment they need.

In January we told you about proposed regulations that could limit your access to allergen immunotherapy (allergy shots). The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is proposing rules that would likely limit the ability of allergists to mix allergen extracts for their patients. That may mean that allergy shots are simply not available to many people - or are available, but not covered by insurance. The insurance coverage of this treatment may also be restricted. The Asthma and Allergy...

Proposed regulations introduced by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) could dramatically limit patient access to allergen immunotherapy (allergy shots). If these new regulations go into effect, allergists would unlikely be able to continue to mix allergen extracts for their patients. The result may limit timelines of allergy shot treatment. The insurance coverage of this treatment may also be restricted. What can I do to prevent these regulations from going into effect? The American...

If you are one of the 50 million Americans living with allergies, you’re probably familiar with the tell-tale signs of allergies, such as sneezing, itchy nose, and watery eyes. But do you know what causes these symptoms? Let’s start at the beginning. An allergy is a disease of the immune system. The body’s immune system receives input from the environment and produces a response. Its purpose is to recognize and attack foreign invaders, such as bacteria and parasites. An allergy occurs when...

The latest research shows that there is no evidence of infection from allergy shots, also known as allergen immunotherapy. The threat of infection is one of the reasons cited in a proposal to restrict your access to allergy shots . In this study, researchers looked at the records of more than 3,000 patients from two large Massachusetts hospitals. The data spanned 10 years. Patients received over 130,000 shots. During that time, guess how many infections researchers traced back to the allergy...

Researchers analyzed 8 years of data and found that while overall systemic reactions have been declining, people with asthma were most at risk for them. Also no local skin infections or serious infections from injections were reported in 9.5 million injection visits.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America thanks Stallergenes Greer for sponsoring this blog post. What Is a Grass Pollen Allergy? If your allergies are worse in the spring and summer time, you may have a grass pollen allergy. Grasses are the most common cause of allergy. Each year, plants (including grasses) release tiny pollen grains to fertilize other plants of the same species. Unfortunately for people with grass allergies, these pollens trigger allergic reactions. Symptoms of grass...

The FDA issued a proposed guidance titled “Insanitary Conditions at Compounding Facilities: Guidance for Industry”. It would likely limit the ability of doctors to provide allergy shots in their offices. The proposed guidance applies to any facility, including doctor offices, that prepares sterile compounds. This includes allergy shots for immunotherapy. AAFA urges you to contact your members of Congress and tell them that you oppose the FDA Guidance. TAKE ACTION NOW Tell Congress it will...

Combining a 16-week initial course of the medication omalizumab with oral immunotherapy (OIT) greatly improves the efficacy of OIT for children with allergies to multiple foods, new clinical trial findings show. After 36 weeks, more than 80 percent of children who received omalizumab and OIT could safely consume two-gram portions of at least two foods to which they were allergic, compared with only a third of children who received placebo and OIT.