Tagged With "Immunotherapy"
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AAFA CEO Shares Patient Concerns About Restrictions to Allergen 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.
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AAFA Delivers the Facts on Allergy Shots
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...
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AAFA Elevates Patient Voice in ICER Review of New Peanut Allergy Treatments
On June 11, 2019, in Oakland, California, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) and its California Technology Assessment Forum (CTAF) met to assess the clinical effectiveness and value of treatments for peanut allergy. The review examined two new technologies to induce immune tolerance — Viaskin® Peanut (DBV Technologies) and AR101 (Aimmune Therapeutics) — as well as non-commercialized oral immunotherapy (OIT).
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AAFA Explains: Allergy Shots—Fighting the Cause of Allergies
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...
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Access to Allergy Shots at Risk
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...
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Ask the Allergist: Does Eczema Affect Allergy Testing?
I have eczema and seasonal allergies. My doctor wants to do a skin test to see if I should get allergy shots. Can I get allergy shots if I have eczema? Does eczema affect the accuracy of allergy skin test results?
Blog Post Featured
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America Responds to Premature ICER Review of New Peanut Allergy Treatments
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) addresses concerns regarding the Final Evidence Report assessing the clinical effectiveness and value of treatments for peanut allergy released by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) on July 10, 2019. ICER’s report may cause concern for the allergy community that the findings will restrict access to new treatments for peanut allergy.
Blog Post Featured
Dr. Philip Norman: An AAFA Tribute to an Allergy Legend
If you’ve ever benefited from immunotherapy (allergy shots, SLIT or oral immunotherapy), you can thank Dr. Philip Sidney Norman. Dr. Norman put allergy research on the map. He is known as the “father of modern immunotherapy for allergic disease” and even coined the term “allergen immunotherapy.” As an allergist and researcher for more than 50 years, he published 237 research papers and more than 100 book chapters and reviews. And for many decades, he was an important part of AAFA.
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Research Shows No Risk of Infection from Allergy Shots
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...
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Sign the Petition to Save Patient Access to Allergy Shots
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...
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Study Reviews Safety of Subcutaneous and Sublingual Allergen Immunotherapy
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.
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Case Study Shows Allergy Shots May Improve Severe Eczema
If you’ve suffered with severe atopic dermatitis (eczema) for a long time and have tried what you think is every available option for relief, you may want to consider allergy shots. A medically-challenging case being presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting found that allergy shots provided significant benefits to the eczema symptoms suffered by a 48-year-old man.
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What If You’re Allergic to Grass? 10 Steps to Managing Grass Pollen Allergy
Grasses are one of the most common causes 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, this pollen triggers allergic reactions.
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Immunotherapy May Help People With Allergic Asthma Breathe Easier
Out of the 25 million people who have asthma, about 60% of them have allergic asthma. If you have allergic asthma, this means allergens trigger asthma symptoms. Immunotherapy may help allergic asthma symptoms.
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Omalizumab Makes Oral Immunotherapy Treatments More Effective
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.
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Re: Immunotherapy May Help People With Allergic Asthma Breathe Easier
I have allergic asthma. I used to get immune therapy shots . Until it was ragweed season and they gave me the shot and my throat Closed up . Eventually they want to try again. . But since I have been sick so often because of my immune deficiency and Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia they didn’t want to risk it . My allergic asthma doesn’t just mess with my lungs it also causes my throat to spasm .
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Re: Immunotherapy May Help People With Allergic Asthma Breathe Easier
Dissolvable allergy pills come in handy with allergic asthma especially if you can’t drink water.