Asthma | ALK - España

Scentific breakthrough

New treatment option for asthma

Allergy immunotherapy can reduce symptoms and medication needs in patients with allergic asthma, and potentially reduce the risk of patients developing asthma

Treating allergic asthma

ALK's house dust mite SLIT-tablet is a significant new innovation that adds to the asthma treatment options in house dust mite allergic patients

Studies show that allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma are closely linked, and that allergic rhinitis patients have an elevated risk of developing asthma.

Unified treatment response
As a result, a unified response is increasingly being adopted, with evidence further showing that treatment with allergy immunotherapy can positively influence asthma outcomes.

In Europe, ALK's house dust mite SLIT-tablet is indicated in adult patients (18-65 years) diagnosed by a clinical history and by a positive test for house dust mite sensitisation with at least one of the following conditions:

• Persistent moderate to severe house dust mite allergic rhinitis despite the use of symptom-relieving medication
• house dust mite allergic asthma not well controlled by inhaled corticosteroids and associated with mild to severe house dust mite allergic rhinitis and where patients' asthma status has been carefully evaluated before initiation of treatment.

Careful evaluation

Prescribing allergy immunotherapy for asthma treatment requires a careful evaluation of the patient’s allergy when assessing their asthma, and then tailoring the treatment plan accordingly, taking care to consider the house dust mite SLIT-tablet alongside other established asthma treatments.

Preventing asthma symptoms

Immunotherapy can reduce the risk of patients developing asthma symptoms

Treating the underlying cause of allergy is a key goal in allergy immunotherapy treatment. As allergic rhinitis is a risk factor for the development of asthma, immunotherapy has the potential to reduce the risk of patients developing asthma.

Primary prevention

The first demonstration of the reduced risk of sensitisation among small children was conducted by a UK team of researchers in a paediatric clinical trial from 2011 to 2014. The trial included high risk children with no allergy, and included giving the children prophylactic treatment with sublingual house dust mite immunotherapy.

The treatment was administered to children aged six to 18 months, and the trial demonstrated preventive effect in terms of a reduced risk of sensitisation.

ALK's grass pollen SLIT-tablet prevents asthma symptoms

ALK’s GAP trial is the largest allergy immunotherapy trial ever conducted in children and investigated the effect of ALK's grass pollen SLIT-tablet on the risk of developing asthma. It involved a three-year treatment phase and a two-year follow-up phase and included 812 children who were aged five to 12 at the start of treatment. In the two years after treatment completion, the estimated risk of experiencing asthma symptoms nearly halved.