Birch pollen allergic patients are currently treated by subcutaneous injections of pollen extracts either by standard allergen specific immunotherapy (SIT) or ultra-rush immunotherapy. Such treatment is prone to side effects and has to be performed in a hospital environment due to the risk of potential anaphylactic reactions. The aim of this study is to test the new product AllerT expected to show widely reduced side effects. AllerT will be injected via two different routes, subcutaneous versus intradermal. The primary endpoint of the study is the local and systemic safety of repeated injections of the product. Since AllerT should provide patients with a pre-seasonal treatment to decrease seasonal allergic symptoms, we will also evaluate the potential efficacy of the approach using a nasal provocation test (NPT) with birch pollen
In addition to the initial protocol, post hoc evaluations were conducted, after new ethics committee reviews, to assess quality of life during the birch pollen season following the trial (April 2009) and to obtain blood samples for evaluation of immunology markers IgG4 and IgE after the season 2010 (July 2010) and after the season 2012 (July 2012),
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
29
AllerT subcutaneous injections on days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 56 - cumulative dose 440 microgram)
AllerT intra-dermal injections on days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 56 - cumulative dose 440 microgram)
Placebo subcutaneous injections on days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 56
Placebo intra-dermal injections on days 1, 7, 14, 21 and 56
Lausanne University Hospital
Lausanne, Switzerland
Number of participants with adverse events
collection of local or systemic allergic reactions and any other adverse events through patient diaries and investigators' interviews during the 8-week treatment period and 4 week post-treatment follow-up (Day 84)
Time frame: 84 days
change from baseline in blood levels of specific IgG4 and IgE
blood samples were taken at baseline and at weeks 1, 2, 4 and 8 of the treatment period, 4 weeks later and then in July 2010 and in July 2012
Time frame: after 7, 14, 21, 56 and 84 days and after 16 to 18 months and 40 to 42 months
change from baseline in nasal provocation tests
nasal provocation tests with birch pollen extract are assessed before treatment and at visit on day 84 of the trial, 4 weeks after completion of treatment
Time frame: 84 days
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