THE END OF POLLEN ALLERGY IS IN SIGHT

HAY FEVER: Runny nose, streaming eyes, sneezing fits, breathing difficulties. Summer is high season for hay fever and asthma, which often make life unbearable for millions. But now a tablet is on the way which not only reduces the symptoms, but can potentially deliver a cure

Reprogramming the immune system Allergic reactions begin in the lymph glands when for instance proteins from grass pollen come into contact with the body’s immune system. For unknown reasons, the immune system reacts in an allergic fashion and regards pollen proteins as parasites which must be defended against. “When we vaccinate against allergy it is done with the pollen allergy’s own weapons,” says senior research scientist Jørgen Nedergaard Larsen at ALK-Abelló. “We purify and standardise those proteins which trigger the allergic reaction, and vaccinate these allergens at a controlled dosage. It leads to what you could call a reprogramming of the patients’ immune system, so that they gradually get used to tolerating the allergens. With controlled and continuous treatment, this reprogramming lasts throughout life for most people.” ALK-Abelló’s new tablet for grass pollen allergy has to be taken on a daily basis in order for the treatment to be optimal. The tablet is placed under the tongue, and dissolves almost immediately. The active agents are absorbed through the mucous membrane.

Last season
Summer 2006 will by all accounts be the last bad hay fever season for those who suffer from grass pollen allergy. In the following years, the same will apply to house dust mite allergy, ragweed allergy and birch allergy. For those who until now have suffered the most from grass pollen allergy, having to endure a tiresome and time-consuming vaccination process, the Danish pharmaceutical company ALK-Abelló plans to launch a tablet for next season which over a three year period significantly reduces the discomfort, and can in the long term potentially deliver a cure.

The Grazax^® tablet has been approved by the Swedish health authorities. This will pave the way for approval in the rest of Europe, and the tablet will be available in a number of European markets in time for the next pollen season.

“It is a tablet which not only reduces the symptoms, but also targets the cause of the allergy,” says Jacob Frische, head of information at ALK-Abelló. “So far this has only been possible with our injectable drug Alutard^®, and this type of injection must be carried out by a doctor. The fact that the treatment extends over three years, has made it a time-consuming and tiresome treatment usually reserved for patients who suffer the most. With our new tablet, allergy sufferers will be able to take the tablets themselves on prescription. It means that those who suffer moderately will now also be offered a real treatment for their allergy.”

Burden
With about 30% of the world market, ALK-Abelló is the world’s leading company in allergy vaccination. The company does not make palliative drugs, but instead makes vaccines which in addition to reducing symptoms, also treat the underlying disease. ALK-Abelló’s objective is to change existing allergy treatment through the continuous development of better and more user-friendly forms of allergy vaccination. The company’s products also include skin prick tests and blood sample tests for diagnostic purposes and an adrenalin pen for acute treatment of allergic shock.

“Allergy is a global health problem which constitutes both a social and socioeconomic burden,” says Frische. “Allergic diseases of the airways, like hay fever and asthma, are estimated to afflict around a quarter of the population in the industrialised world. What’s more, people suffering from allergy often have hay fever and asthma at the same time. We know that 75-80% of patients with asthma also have hay fever, and that up to 38% of patients who suffer from hay fever also have asthma. Normally it is a chronic condition which requires lifelong symptom reducing treatment.”

http://www.alk-abello.com