A new compound, CYT003-QbG10, is under study as a replacement for years of allergy shots. If treatment with CYT003-QbG10 is successful, it will be a great improvement over traditional allergy shots for two reasons: a much shorter course of treatment; and an injection that is free from the actual allergen.

An injection that is free of allergens will substantially reduce or eliminate the risk of an allergic reaction caused by the treatment.

In addition, this single treatment could be used in the treatment of more than one allergy. For patients who are coping with a constellation of allergies, this could mean a lessening of more than one allergy through a single course of injections.

Unfortunately, the treatment is not going to be available from your allergist any time soon. This compound is still in the process of development. Researchers expect that it will be 4 to 5 years before this kind of immunotherapy would be available on the market, assuming that it is approved by the FDA.

At the current time, allergy shots are the only form of treatment which actually attempts to address the roots of allergic symptoms. However, allergy shots are a long-term treatment, taking 3 to 5 years to complete and consisting of as many as 80 injections. Further, this type of treatment entails a degree of risk, as the patient is being injected with actual allergens. As a result, the patient could experience side effects, including potentially severe allergic reactions.

In contrast, CYT003-QbG10 is a new compound made of synthetic DNA.

The current stud looked at 80 patients with either dust mite or cat allergy. Patients were randomly assigned to either a test subject group or a placebo group.

Initial results were promising. Not only did CYT003-QbG10 treatment show few side effects, but it also reduced allergy symptoms when compared to the placebo.

CYT003-QbG10 will still have to be studied for efficacy and longer-term safety.

Source: US News & World Report