Efficacy and safety of timothy grass allergy immunotherapy tablets in North American children and adolescents

Background: Allergy immunotherapy tablet (AIT) treatment might be a safe and convenient form of specific immunotherapy but it has not been investigated in North American children and adolescents.

Objective: We sought to investigate the efficacy and safety of timothy grass AIT treatment in North American children/adolescents with grass pollen-induced allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC) with or without asthma.

Methods: Three hundred forty-five subjects (5-17 years old) were randomized to once-daily grass AIT treatment (2,800 bioequivalent allergen units, 75,000 standardized quality tablet, approximately 15 μg of Phl p 5) or placebo approximately 16 weeks before the 2009 grass pollen season (GPS). Treatment continued through the GPS. Daily symptoms and allergy rescue medication use were recorded. The primary end point was the total combined score (TCS) of the daily symptom score (DSS) and daily medication score (DMS) for the entire GPS. DSS, DMS, Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire score, and Phl p 5-specific IgG4 and IgE-blocking factor levels were secondary end points. Safety was assessed through adverse events.

Results: Eighty-nine percent of subjects were multisensitized. TCS, DSS, DMS, and Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire score versus placebo improved 26% (P = .001), 25% (P = .005), 81% (P = .006), and 18% (P = .04). Phl p 5-specific IgG4 and IgE-blocking factor levels were significantly higher at the peak and end of the GPS (P < .001). Treatment was well tolerated. Adverse events were generally mild and transient. Although no investigator-assessed systemic allergic reactions were reported, 1 grass AIT-treated subject experienced an event indicating a systemic reaction (lip angioedema, dysphagia, and cough).

Conclusions: Use of once-daily timothy grass AIT treatment effectively treats timothy grass (cross-reactive with Festucoideae grasses) pollen-induced ARC in North American children 5 years and older. Given its convenient administration, lack of dose build-up requirement, safety profile, and efficacy, AIT treatment might become an important addition to the North American ARC treatment armamentarium.