Would you get a shot a week for six weeks if it meant no more allergy pills for two years?
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine successfully proved a DNA-based vaccine protects participants against fall ragweed allergies ? or hay fever ? for at least two full seasons.
After just six injections, patients receiving the vaccine reported 60 percent fewer allergy symptoms than those receiving a placebo.
“We are turning off an inappropriate or abnormal allergic response and returning the body to normalcy,” said lead investigator Dr. Peter Creticos, medical director of the Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center in Baltimore. “Our hope is that we can one day provide a long-term cure for hay fever and other chronic inflammatory diseases.”
The shots replace a medicine cabinet full of temporary relief from nasal steroid sprays to pills and foul-tasting antihistamine syrups, and hold the promise of replacing immunotherapy regimens, which are costly and take years to work, a Hopkins news release said.
The study, conducted during two hay-fever seasons in Baltimore, enrolled 25 ragweed allergy sufferers, ages 23 to 60. More than half received the vaccine, while 11 others received placebo injections.
Then came the fun part.
Researchers measured allergic symptoms, right down to how often volunteers? noses ran and how many times they sneezed. Patients exhibited 60 percent fewer allergy symptoms, including sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes and itching. By comparison, users of over-the-counter remedies reported 7 percent to 11 percent improvement.
Another study, under way, will examine the drug?s longevity in a larger group; future plans to address spring and pet allergens are on the drawing board, Creticos said.
