Allergies

Experimental Ragweed Allergy Vaccine: Hay Fever Relief in Just Six Weeks

Filed in archive Allergy Medications , Allergy: Research and Development , Hay Fever on October 5, 2006

Experimental Ragweed Allergy Vaccine: Hay Fever Relief  in Just Six Weeks
Mild to moderate ragweed allergies are conventionally treated using antihistamines or nasal corticosteroids. However, some people do not respond to these drugs, and some experience adverse reactions. Thus, for such individuals, allergen immunotherapy, or subcutaneous injections of the allergen, is done. However this form of therapy involves repeated visits to the clinic for the injections, over a period of 3-5 years.

A new vaccine developed by researchers from Johns Hopkins seems to present a better alternative. The experimental DNA-based vaccine has been shown to protect against ragweed allergies, commonly known as hay fever, after just six injections. The main advantage of this novel vaccine is that it is more likely for patients to go through this therapy, rather than the conventional immunotherapy that takes years to complete.
The experimental therapy holds the promise of one day eliminating the need for traditional allergy medicines targeting allergy symptoms, such as nasal steroids and antihistamines, and providing a safer, faster replacement for immunotherapy regimens, which are costly and take years to work, the researchers say.

This is a promising vaccine candidate. It will most likely still take years before this vacine comes out to the market, but it's a milestone.

Should you want to read the publsihed manuscript describing the vaccine's pilot trials, the study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) also has a feature report.

[Photo: Weed Science Society of America]

Permalink: Experimental Ragweed Allergy Vaccine: Hay Fever Relief in Just Six Weeks

Tags: hay+fever  ragweed  pollen  pollen+allergies  allergic+rhinitis  rhinitis  allergy  fever+relief 

Vote for Experimental Ragweed Allergy Vaccine: Hay Fever Relief in Just Six Weeks:

  • Currently 9.50/10
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
Rating: 9.50 out of 2 vote(s) cast.
 
Share It
RSSrss
Google google
Yahoo! yahoo
Addthis Subscribe using any feed reader!
Bloglines Bloglines
Most Popular   Allergy Basics   Allergy Blogs   Allergy Medications   Allergy Support Groups   Allergy to Drugs   Allergy: Diagnostics and Treatment   Allergy: Research and Development   Asthma   Best of   Did you know   Dust Mite Allergies   Food Allergies   Gadgets and Tools Against Allergies   Hay Fever   Information About   Insect Allergies   Latex/Rubber Allergies   Living with Allergies   Metal Allergies   Misc