Adherence to Sublingual Immunotherapy

Real-world evidence of allergen immunotherapy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The full understanding of the long-term effectiveness and safety of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) for allergic respiratory diseases cannot be achieved through randomized controlled trials (RCTs) alone. However, real-world studies designed as registries can complement RCTs.

RECENT FINDINGS

The significance of registries is highlighted by their potential to reassess contraindications and collect data on adult and pediatric patients with multiple comorbidities who are often excluded from RCTs.

SUMMARY

AIT is the sole disease-modifying therapeutic approach capable of inducing tolerance and offering a long-term response to allergens. AIT has been shown to play a role in arresting the 'allergic march' in young people, which reduces the risk of developing asthmatic clinical manifestations. Although RCTs are considered the gold standard for evaluating the efficacy and safety of AIT, their duration is usually too short (seldom lasting more than 1 year) to assess the long-term effects of AIT. Several long-term studies show that AIT's effect depends strongly on its use duration.

Patient compliance to sublingual immunotherapy for mite-induced allergic rhinitis: A retrospective study

Background

Compliance to sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is generally low, resulting in reduced short- and long-term clinical efficacy. Compliance is a critical factor determining the success of allergic rhinitis (AR) treatment.

Objective

To analyze the compliance of patients with house dust mite (HDM)-induced AR to SLIT and the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on compliance.

Methods

The clinical data of 3117 patients with HDM-induced AR who started SLIT between July 2018 and April 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. We assessed the reasons for non-compliance and the changes in non-compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period.

Results

Of 3117 patients, 507 (16.27%) patients (ages, 5-67 years) were identified as non-compliant. The most common reason for non-compliance was poor efficacy (27.22%). The non-compliance rate was highest during 24-36 months of SLIT (28.13%, 153/544), followed by 12-24 months (7.02%, 91/1296). Non-compliance was significantly higher in adolescents/adults than in children (P = 0.000). Although the generalized linear model analysis indicated that compliance was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic during 3-6 months of SLIT, the overall compliance to SLIT was not significantly affected by the pandemic, according to the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

Conclusions

The non-compliance rate of SLIT in this study was low, and poor efficacy was the most common reason for non-compliance. The compliance of adolescents/adults was lower than that of children. The COVID-19 pandemic did not significantly impact compliance to SLIT, which is an appropriate strategy for the home treatment of AR patients during major public health events.

Modelling the impact of sublingual immunotherapy versus subcutaneous immunotherapy on patient travel time and CO2 emissions in Sweden

In Sweden, allergy immunotherapy (AIT) is available as either subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) injections or sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) tablets and is used to treat moderate-severe allergic rhinitis (AR). This study sought to determine treatment-related CO2 emissions and travel times in Swedish patients receiving either SCIT or SLIT-tablets. A list of specialized Swedish AR clinics that administer AIT was determined, and respective co-ordinates retrieved. Swedish municipality population data were obtained from a national database. The mean distance from each Swedish municipality to the nearest AR clinic was calculated, adjusted using a detour index, and weighted by estimated patient population size. Transport modality data were obtained from a Swedish urban transport study and CO2 emissions were obtained from Government sources. The mean number of annual SLIT-tablets and SCIT doses required were calculated based on product labels and clinical expert input. The annual number of healthcare professional interactions were layered into the model to estimate changes in mean patient travel time, distance, and travel-related CO2 emissions associated with using SCIT versus SLIT-tablets. Mean annual travel-related CO2 emissions were 410 tonnes (to two significant figures [s.f.]; standard deviation [SD] 90) with SLIT-tablets, versus 1700 tonnes (SD 380) for SCIT, resulting in mean annual savings of approximately 1300 tonnes (SD 290) of CO2 if all AIT patients were to receive SLIT-tablets instead of SCIT, over 380 times greater than 2021 average Swedish CO2 emissions per capita. Approximate mean annual travel times for patients taking SLIT-tablets were 66,500 h (three s.f.; SD 14,400), and 278,000 h (SD 60,200) for SCIT, resulting in mean annual savings of 211,000 h (SD 45,800) if all AIT patients were to receive SLIT-tablets instead of SCIT. Compared with SCIT injections, SLIT-tablets led to substantial reductions in treatment-related CO2 emissions and travel times for Swedish patients.

[Demographic features and compliance of children with allergic diseases receiving sublingual immunotherapy]

OBJECTIVES

To study the demographic features of children with allergic diseases receiving standardized sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) and the influencing factors for the compliance with SLIT.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on the demographic features and follow-up data of 1 789 children with allergic diseases who received SLIT in Children's Hospital of Jiangxi Province from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020. The compliance with SLIT and its influencing factors were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 1 789 children received SLIT, among whom there were 1 271 boys (71.05%) and 518 girls (28.95%), with an age range of 4-14 years. Among these children, 777 (43.43%) had complete compliance with SLIT and 1 012 (56.57%) withdrew from the treatment within one year. Among the 1 012 children, 354 (34.98%) withdrew from the treatment due to self-conscious inconvenient use, 346 (34.19%) withdrew due to unsatisfactory treatment outcome, 253 (25.00%) stopped the treatment due to the improvement in symptoms, and 59 (5.83%) terminated the treatment due to adverse reactions. Withdrawal was mainly observed within 1-4 months after treatment (74.31%, 752/1 012). Girls tended to have a lower compliance rate than boys, and the children with a single disease had a lower compliance rate than those with multiple diseases (P<0.05). The multivariate analysis showed that compared with boys, girls had an increased risk of withdrawal (OR=0.811, 95%CI: 0.658-0.998, P<0.05), and compared with the children with multiple diseases, the children with a single disease were more likely to withdraw from the treatment (OR=1.313, 95%CI: 1.005-1.715, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Children with allergic diseases tend to have poor compliance with SLIT, which is associated with sex and the number of diseases, and the main reasons for withdrawal are self-conscious inconvenient use and unsatisfactory treatment outcome.

Dropouts From Sublingual Immunotherapy and the Transition to Subcutaneous Immunotherapy in House Dust Mite-Sensitized Allergic Rhinitis Patients

Purpose: Both subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) are effective in reducing symptoms and medication scores and inducing long-term efficacy in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). However, SLIT has been associated with poor patient adherence. This study investigates the factors impacting dropout rates from SLIT in house dust mite (HDM)-sensitized AR patients.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed to analyze dropout rates and reasons in AR patients receiving Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f) SLIT with a follow-up period of 2 years.

Results: A total of 719 HDM-sensitized AR patients received Der f-SLIT. Dropout rates increased with time and most occurred after 1 year of SLIT. By month 24, 654 (91%) patients had discontinued SLIT. The dropout rates by month 24 were 100, 90.1, and 91.1% in children <5 years old, children aged 5–18 years old, and adults ≥ 18 years old, respectively. Combination with allergic asthma and mono- or multi-sensitization to other aeroallergens did not affect the dropout rates. The most common self-reported reasons for dropouts were refusal of continuation, dissatisfaction with the efficacy, transition to SCIT, and adverse effects. Refusal of continuation increased with age, whereas transition to SCIT decreased with age. Ninety-seven cases transitioned from SLIT to SCIT, and the transition rates increased with time. Comorbid allergic asthma did not affect the transition rates. However, multi-sensitization was associated with a slightly higher rate of transition to SCIT. The most common reason for the transition was dissatisfaction with the efficacy (54.6%), which was only reported by patients older than 5 years. For children who began SLIT at younger than 5 years old, the most common reason (81.2%) for transition was age reaching 5 years.

Conclusions: HDM-SLIT has a very high dropout rate, which is mainly due to refusal of continuation and dissatisfaction with the efficacy. Transitioning from SLIT to SCIT may help keep these patients on AIT and thus increase adherence and long-term efficacy.

Allergen immunotherapy: The growing role of observational and randomized trial "Real-World Evidence"

BACKGROUND

Although there is a considerable body of knowledge about allergen immunotherapy (AIT), there is a lack of data on the reliability of real-world evidence (RWE) in AIT, and consequently, a lack of information on how AIT effectively works in real life.

METHODS

To address the current unmet need for an appraisal of the quality of RWE in AIT, the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Methodology Committee recently initiated a systematic review of observational studies of AIT, which will use the RELEVANT tool and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach (GRADE) to rate the quality of the evidence base as a whole. The next step will be to develop a broadly applicable, pragmatic "real-world" database using systematic data collection. Based on the current RWE base, and perspectives and recommendations of authorities and scientific societies, a hierarchy of RWE in AIT is proposed, which places pragmatic trials and registry data at the positions of highest level of evidence.

KEY RESULTS

There is a need to establish more AIT registries that collect data in a cohesive way, using standardized protocols.

CONCLUSIONS

This will provide an essential source of real-world data that can be easily shared, promoting evidence-based research and quality improvement in study design and clinical decision-making.

Placebo effects in allergen immunotherapy-An EAACI Task Force Position Paper

The placebo (Latin "I will please") effect commonly occurs in clinical trials. The psychological and physiological factors associated with patients' expectations about a treatment's positive and negative effects have yet to be well characterized, although a functional prefrontal cortex and intense bidirectional communication between the central nervous system and the immune system appear to be prerequisites for a placebo effect. The use of placebo raises certain ethical issues, especially if patients in a placebo group are denied an effective treatment for a long period of time. The placebo effect appears to be relatively large (up to 77%, relative to pretreatment scores) in controlled clinical trials of allergen immunotherapy (AIT), such as the pivotal, double-blind, placebo-controlled (DBPC) randomized clinical trials currently required by regulatory authorities worldwide. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) therefore initiated a Task Force, in order to better understand the placebo effect in AIT and its specific role in comorbidities, blinding issues, adherence, measurement time points, variability and the natural course of the disease. In this Position Paper, the EAACI Task Force highlights several important topics regarding the placebo effect in AIT such as a) regulatory aspects, b) neuroimmunological and psychological mechanisms, c) placebo effect sizes in AIT trials, d) methodological limitations in AIT trial design and e) potential solutions in future AIT trial design. In conclusion, this Position Paper aims to examine the methodological problem of placebo in AIT from different aspects and also to highlight unmet needs and possible solutions for future trials.

Geographical and socioeconomic differences in compliance with and access to allergen immunotherapy in Denmark: A nationwide registry-based study - 1998-2016

BACKGROUND

Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is a cost-effective treatment option in moderate-severe allergic rhino-conjunctivitis. Inequality in access to AIT and variation in compliance related to socioeconomic status or geographical location have not been described previously.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to evaluate access to grass pollen AIT at various educational attainment levels in the five regions of Denmark. Furthermore, grass pollen AIT treatment compliance was evaluated with respect to age, educational attainment and geographical area.

METHODS

The unique civil registration number of every citizen in Denmark was combined with the nationwide Danish National Health Service Prescription Database and Statistics Denmark Database to extract age, gender, residence and educational attainment of every citizen who collected prescribed AIT medication from 1998 to 2016. Then, compliance and use of AIT were calculated with respect to age, geographical location and educational attainment.

RESULTS

The use of subcutaneous AIT (SCIT) was significantly higher in the Capital Region; this difference was less predominant for sublingual AIT (SLIT). People who were educated only to primary school or vocational training levels were less frequent users of AIT. Compliance was especially low in the Capital Region and among people educated only to primary school level. In the age groups, compliance was similar, apart from SLIT users aged 0-9, for whom compliance was higher.

CONCLUSION

This nationwide study finds that SLIT has the potential to reduce inequality in access to AIT. A focus intervention is needed to facilitate access to and compliance with AIT in groups with lower socioeconomic status.

Novel vaccines for allergen-specific immunotherapy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is a highly economic, effective and disease-modifying form of allergy treatment but requires accurate prescription and monitoring. New molecular approaches are currently under development to improve AIT by reducing treatment-related side effects, cumbersome protocols and patients' compliance. We review the current advances regarding refined diagnosis for prescription and monitoring of AIT and the development of novel molecular vaccines for AIT. Finally, we discuss prophylactic application of AIT.

RECENT FINDINGS

There is evidence that molecular allergy diagnosis not only assists in the prescription and monitoring of AIT but also allows a refined selection of patients to increase the likelihood of treatment success. New data regarding the effects of AIT treatment with traditional allergen extracts by alternative routes have become available. Experimental approaches for AIT, such as virus-like particles and cell-based treatments have been described. New results from clinical trials performed with recombinant hypoallergens and passive immunization with allergen-specific antibodies highlight the importance of allergen-specific IgG antibodies for the effect of AIT and indicate opportunities for preventive allergen-specific vaccination.

SUMMARY

Molecular allergy diagnosis is useful for the prescription and monitoring of AIT and may improve the success of AIT. Results with molecular allergy vaccines and by passive immunization with allergen-specific IgG antibodies indicate the importance of allergen-specific IgG capable of blocking allergen recognition by IgE and IgE-mediated allergic inflammation as important mechanism for the success of AIT. New molecular vaccines may pave the road towards prophylactic allergen-specific vaccination.

Compliance, efficacy, and safety of subcutaneous and sublingual immunotherapy in children with allergic rhinitis

BACKGROUND

Although previous studies had confirmed the effectiveness and safety of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), respectively, direct head-to-head comparison of SCIT vs SLIT is sparse. We aimed to compare the efficacy, safety, and compliance of SCIT and SLIT in allergic rhinitis (AR) children.

METHODS

This study is a prospective, open-label, and single-center study performed between June 2017 and June 2018. A total of 325 children were grouped into SLIT, Alutard (SCIT1), and NovoHelisen Depot (NHD) (SCIT2) according to the parents' wishes. The adherence and reasons for dropout were recorded. The efficacy of SLIT and SCIT was evaluated by a combined symptom medication score. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded and graded during the whole treatment.

RESULTS

The compliance rate was higher in the SCIT group compared with the SLIT group (P < .05). The total nasal symptom score (TNSS), rescue medication score (RMS), and symptom medication score (SMS) after 6-month, 12-month, and 2-year treatment were lower in the SCIT group compared with the SLIT group (P < .05). But the scores between the Alutard and NHD groups were not significantly different. The occurrence of AEs in the SCIT group was significantly higher compared with the SLIT group (P < .05).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggested SCIT is more effective compared with SLIT to a certain degree, whereas SLIT had less AEs compared with SCIT. The AIT routes can be chosen according to personal specific conditions.

Predictors of Completion of Sublingual Immunotherapy

OBJECTIVES

Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has emerged as an effective treatment alternative to subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) given its improved safety profile and more convenient dosing. However, SLIT still relies on daily dosing for many years to optimize effectiveness. This study sought to investigate factors that influence patient completion of SLIT.

METHODS

We performed an institutional retrospective review of patients who received SLIT (2008-2020). Completion was defined as completing at least 36 months of SLIT. Patient demographics and characteristics, including the number of allergens treated, history of asthma and sinus surgery, number of clinic visits, and total time undergoing SLIT, were documented. Multivariate models were used to analyze predictors of SLIT completion. Subgroup analysis was performed among pediatric patients and patients who discontinued SLIT.

RESULTS

Of the 404 total patients, 249 (61.6%) discontinued, 47 (11.6%) completed, and 108 (26.7%) were currently undergoing SLIT. The mean duration of therapy was 11.2 months for those who discontinued and 49.4 months for patients who completed SLIT. The odds of SLIT completion were twice as high with each additional clinic visit (P < .001), and twice as high when the dosage was increased during therapy (P = .06). Pediatric patients younger than age 12 with a history of asthma were over five times more likely to complete therapy (P = .045). Patients with more clinic visits (P < .001) and higher associated costs (P = .003) were less likely to be lost to follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Increasing the frequency of clinic visits, improving therapy availability, and mitigating concerns about clinical efficacy may increase patient completion of SLIT.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

4 Laryngoscope, 131:E2111-E2115, 2021.

Cost-effectiveness of grass pollen allergen immunotherapy in adults

BACKGROUND

Major scientific societies, such as the EAACI or the AAAAI, do not express any suggestion on which form of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is to be preferred (subcutaneous immunotherapy, SCIT, vs sublingual immunotherapy, SLIT). This choice could depend on their relative pharmacoeconomic value.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the cost-effectiveness of AIT for grass pollen, administered as SCIT or SLIT.

METHODS

We created a Markovian Model, to evaluate, in a hypothetical cohort of adult patients suffering from moderate-to-severe rhino-conjunctivitis with or without allergic asthma, the cost-effectiveness of SLIT (tablets, Grazax^® and Oralair^® ) or SCIT (various currently available products, plus indirect nonmedical costs, such as travel and productivity costs) in addition to pharmacological therapy, assuming a 9-year horizon to capture AIT long-term effects. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated assuming pharmacological therapy as the reference comparator.

RESULTS

In the base case, SCIT was slightly more expensive, but more effective than SLIT, being the most cost-effective option (ICER for SCIT, €11 418; ICER for SLIT, €15 212). ICERs greater than €120 000 for both SCIT and SLIT were demonstrated in a scenario assuming that low treatment persistence rates, which are common in real-life, lead to absence of long-term AIT clinical benefit. Considering indirect nonmedical costs SLIT resulted more cost-effective than SCIT (ICER for SCIT, €17 318; ICER for SLIT, €15 212).

CONCLUSION

In daily practice, AIT for grass pollens may be a cost-effective option only in patients with low discontinuation rates. SCIT, which is less affected by this limitation than SLIT, seems the most cost-effective AIT form.

Real-world evidence of subcutaneous allergoid immunotherapy in house dust mite-induced allergic rhinitis and asthma

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) with an allergoid in the treatment of house dust mites (HDM)-induced allergic rhinitis and/or asthma based on recent real-life data. The outcomes were measured using asthma incidence and consumption of corresponding medications as the indicator of persisting symptoms.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort analysis of a German longitudinal prescription database, patients who received at least two relevant mite AIT prescriptions in two different successive seasonal cycles were compared with non-AIT patients who received at least three symptomatic allergic rhinitis (AR) prescriptions in successive mite seasons. Study endpoints included AR progression, asthma progression, asthma occurrence, and therapy adherence. We used multivariate regression analyses to estimate the effects of AIT, adjusting for relevant variables.

RESULTS

This study included 2350 patients receiving a mite allergoid and 64 740 control patients. After up to 6 years of follow-up, patients treated with mite allergoid required significantly fewer AR and asthma prescriptions (59.7% vs 10.8%) than the control group, and the probability of asthma development was significantly lower. The adherence of patients receiving allergoid was 63.8% at the end of the second year and 38.6% at the end of the third year.

CONCLUSIONS

This real-world evidence confirms the good efficacy of subcutaneous AIT with HDM mite allergoid in the treatment of allergic rhinitis and/or asthma. Up to 6 years of follow-up revealed significant effects in allergic rhinitis by measuring the number of AR medications and demonstrating significant reductions in asthma medications.

Sublingual immunotherapy for food allergy and its future directions

Food allergy is an important medical problem with increasing prevalence throughout the world. Different approaches of food immunotherapy are being investigated including oral, epicutaneous and sublingual routes. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) for food allergy involves placement of glycerinated allergen under the tongue daily to achieve allergen-specific desensitization. SLIT has been studied in the treatment of hazelnut, peach, apple, milk and peanut allergies with substantial focus on the treatment of peanut allergy. Phase II studies have shown SLIT for treatment of peanut allergy increases the tolerated dose of peanut by a substantial margin with fewer and less severe side effects than other modalities. This review discusses the mechanisms of SLIT, early studies of its use in food allergy and larger randomized controlled trials for treatment of peanut allergy. Future directions using the mechanisms involved in SLIT include oral mucosal immunotherapy for peanut allergy.

Compliance in subcutaneous and sublingual allergen immunotherapy: A nationwide study

INTRODUCTION

Allergic rhino-conjunctivitis is a highly prevalent condition. In moderate to severe cases, allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is a cost-effective therapeutic option. Previous data have reported a large difference in treatment compliance of subcutaneously (SCIT) and sublingually (SLIT) administered AIT.

METHODS

By use of the unique civil registration number assigned to all Danish citizens and the Danish National Health Service Prescription Database, compliance rates of all patients prescribed with grass pollen AIT from January 1998 until December 2016 were analysed annually during the three-year treatment period.

RESULTS

The male/female ratio was close to 1:1 in SCIT, while SLIT was more frequently used by men. A large proportion of users was children or adolescents (32% and 45%, SCIT and SLIT, respectively). Compliance of both subcutaneous and sublingual treatment gradually fell each year; compliance in year 3 was 57% and 53% for subcutaneous and sublingual treatment, respectively. Compliance of grass pollen sublingual treatment was also analysed each year after registration on the Danish market. Compliance significantly increased following the introduction and stabilised on a relatively high level.

CONCLUSION

Based on previous studies, we hypothesised that AIT compliance would be low, especially in SLIT. However, in Denmark, compliance in SCIT and SLIT was almost similar, and the majority of patients completed the three-year treatment period with a compliance in the last quintile.

A non-stationary Markov model for economic evaluation of grass pollen allergoid immunotherapy

Introduction

Allergic rhino-conjunctivitis (ARC) is an IgE-mediated disease that occurs after exposure to indoor or outdoor allergens, or to non-specific triggers. Effective treatment options for seasonal ARC are available, but the economic aspects and burden of these therapies are not of secondary importance, also considered that the prevalence of ARC has been estimated at 23% in Europe. For these reasons, we propose a novel flexible cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) model, intended to provide healthcare professionals and policymakers with useful information aimed at cost-effective interventions for grass-pollen induced allergic rhino-conjunctivitis (ARC).

Methods

Treatments compared are: 1. no AIT, first-line symptomatic drug-therapy with no allergoid immunotherapy (AIT). 2. SCIT, subcutaneous immunotherapy. 3. SLIT, sublingual immunotherapy. The proposed model is a non-stationary Markovian model, that is flexible enough to reflect those treatment-related problems often encountered in real-life and clinical practice, but that cannot be adequately represented in randomized clinical trials (RCTs). At the same time, we described in detail all the structural elements of the model as well as its input parameters, in order to minimize any issue of transparency and facilitate the reproducibility and circulation of the results among researchers.

Results

Using the no AIT strategy as a comparator, and the Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) as a statistic to summarize the cost-effectiveness of a health care intervention, we could conclude that:

Conclusions

Even though there is a considerable evidence that SCIT outperforms SLIT, we could not state that both SCIT and SLIT (or only one of these two) can be considered cost-effective for ARC, as a reliable threshold value for cost-effectiveness set by national regulatory agencies for pharmaceutical products is missing. Moreover, the impact of model input parameters uncertainty on the reliability of our conclusions needs to be investigated further.

30 years of sublingual immunotherapy

Allergen Immunotherapy (AIT) was introduced in clinical practice on an empirical basis more than 100 years ago. Since the first attempts, AIT was administered subcutaneously. Indeed, other routes of administration were proposed and studied, in particular to improve the safety, but only the sublingual route (SLIT) achieved a credibility based on evidence and was then accepted as a viable "alternative" option to the subcutaneous route. SLIT was largely used in clinical trials and clinical practice in this last 30 years. Thus, a large amount of data is available, coming from either controlled trials and postmarketing surveillance studies. It is clear that SLIT is overall effective, but it is also clear that the efficacy is not "class-related," as derived from meta-analyses, but restricted to each specific product. The 30-year lasting use of SLIT allowed to clarify many clinical aspects, such as efficacy, safety, use in asthma, regimens of administration, and optimal doses. In parallel, the mechanisms of action of AIT were elucidated, and new indications were proposed (eg food allergy, atopic dermatitis). In addition, the introduction of molecular-based diagnosis, allowed to better refine the prescription of SLIT, based on specific sensitization profiles. The present article will describe the origin and evolution of SLIT for respiratory allergy, taking into account the clinical context that suggested this form of treatment, the recently developed aspects, the future perspectives and unmet needs, This is not, therefore, a systematic review, rather a narrative historical description of the past history, and a look forward to the future opportunities.

The effect of the standard length of the first prescription on the adherence to sublingual immunotherapy for patients with allergic rhinitis

BACKGROUND

Poor adherence to sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) has become a major cause of unsatisfactory clinical efficacy for patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). This study was designed to identify the effect of different first prescription lengths on the adherence to SLIT.

METHODS

The clinical data of 306 patients with AR who started SLIT between January 2017 and June 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the length of their first prescription (group A: less than 3 months, group B: 3 to 6 months, group C: more than 6 months). The numbers of adherent or nonadherent patients in each group and the main reasons of nonadherence were analyzed.

RESULTS

Groups A, B, and C included 102, 161, and 43 patients, respectively. The average lengths of the first prescription for group A, B, and C were 62.52 ± 17.63, 102.21 ± 9.22, and 189.07 ± 17.97 days. There were significance differences among the 3 groups (p < 0.05). There were 42 (41.18%), 112 (69.57%), and 37 (86.05%) adherent patients in group A, B, and C. There were 60 (58.82%), 49 (30.43%), and 6 (13.95%) nonadherent patients in group A, B, and C. There were significant differences in the proportions of adherent and nonadherent patients among the 3 groups (p < 0.05). The following reasons were cited for nonadherence to SLIT: the long course of SLIT; inconvenience of getting the prescription; ineffectiveness; side effects; and other reasons.

CONCLUSION

Under certain conditions, 6 months is recommended as the standard length for the first prescription, which can significantly improve adherence to SLIT in patients with AR.

Allergen immunotherapy: what is the added value of real-world evidence from retrospective claims database studies?

Introduction: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) show that allergen immunotherapy (AIT) has proven long-term efficacy in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). However, RCTs have limited generalizability and there is growing recognition that real-world evidence (RWE) is necessary to provide complementary data to those of RCTs, and corroborate their findings. Until recently, data from the real-world setting investigating the benefits of AIT for the treatment of patients with grass and birch pollen-associated AR were sparse, but new retrospective claims database studies from France and Germany have confirmed the sustained benefits of grass and birch pollen AIT in terms of significantly reduced progression of AR and asthma, and a significantly decreased risk of new-onset asthma.Areas covered: Here, we review the value of RWE used alongside data from traditional RCTs, and its potential strengths and limitations, and summarize the findings of the recent RWE studies investigating the benefits of AIT for the management of patients with grass and birch pollen-associated AR.Expert opinion: There is growing recognition of the necessity and value of RWE as a complement to data acquired in RCTs, to better understand the effects of AIT treatments in a broader, more representative patient population, and to help guide clinical decision-making.

Real-World Adherence and Evidence of Subcutaneous and Sublingual Immunotherapy in Grass and Tree Pollen-Induced Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma

PURPOSE

Allergen immunotherapy (AIT), when continued for 3 years, is the only disease-modifying treatment for AR and asthma. Adherence is a key to ensure effectiveness, and poor adherence is a contraindication for AIT. The objective of this study was to evaluate real-world adherence to AIT with subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) preparations in patients allergic to grass or tree pollen. The impact of AIT on the consumption of asthma and rhinitis medication was also analyzed.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this retrospective cohort analysis of a German longitudinal prescription database, the adherence of a grass and tree pollen allergoid was examined and compared to two sublingual AIT tablets/drops. Patients receiving grass or tree allergen-specific immunotherapy prescriptions were compared with non-AIT patients receiving symptomatic allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma prescriptions. The study endpoints included therapy adherence, AR progression, and asthma progression. Multivariate regression analyses were used to estimate the effects of SCIT or SLIT, adjusting for variables related to demographics and prescriptions.

RESULTS

SCIT adherence was 60.1-61.8% at 2 years and 35.0-37.5% at 3 years for the two allergens. SLIT adherence was distinctly lower (29.5-36.5% and 9.6-18.2%, respectively). Adherence in children was higher compared to adolescents or adults. All products were highly efficacious at reducing symptomatic AR medication consumption. SCIT also reduced asthma medication use for both allergens, whereas for SLIT these results were significant only for grasses but not trees.

CONCLUSION

Subcutaneous AIT in a real-world setting achieved significantly higher adherence rates compared to sublingual administration. SCIT reduced the use of rhinitis and asthma medication significantly for both allergens, while SLIT reduced the use of rhinitis medication for both allergens and the use of asthma medication for grasses only.

Mobile Technology in Allergic Rhinitis: Evolution in Management or Revolution in Health and Care?

Smart devices and Internet-based applications (apps) are largely used in allergic rhinitis and may help to address some unmet needs. However, these new tools need to first of all be tested for privacy rules, acceptability, usability, and cost-effectiveness. Second, they should be evaluated in the frame of the digital transformation of health, their impact on health care delivery, and health outcomes. This review (1) summarizes some existing mobile health apps for allergic rhinitis and reviews those in which testing has been published, (2) discusses apps that include risk factors of allergic rhinitis, (3) examines the impact of mobile health apps in phenotype discovery, (4) provides real-world evidence for care pathways, and finally (5) discusses mobile health tools enabling the digital transformation of health and care, empowering citizens, and building a healthier society.

Shortened up-dosing with sublingual immunotherapy drops containing tree allergens is well tolerated and elicits dose-dependent clinical effects during the first pollen season

Background

This study compared a rapid home-based up-dosing schedule for sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) drops containing tree pollen allergens with two previously established schedules. Furthermore, the clinical effect of the SLIT was investigated with respect to patients’ first pollen season under treatment.

Methods

In this open-label, prospective, patient-preference, non-interventional study, local and systemic reactions were compared between three up-dosing groups using a SLIT formulation containing birch, alder, and hazel pollen extracts (ORALVAC^® Compact Bäume). Clinical improvement after patients’ first season under treatment was analysed using symptom scores, ARIA classification, symptom control, and the use of symptomatic medication and was compared with data from the previous, pre-treatment pollen season. As the real-life study design allowed no placebo group, the late-treated patients (co-seasonal) served as a control, and crowd-sourced symptom data from persons with hay fever were used from a free web-based online diary.

Results

In 33 study centres in Germany and Austria, 164 patients were included. The treatment was well tolerated, without difference between the groups during the up-dosing phase. At the end of the assessment, 96.1% rated the tolerability of the treatment as good or very good. Local reactions were mostly mild in severity and no serious adverse events occurred. Symptom scores decreased from the 2016 pollen season to the 2017 pollen season. As for the ARIA classification, 79.0% of patients had persistent, moderate-to-severe rhinitis before treatment, but only 18.6% had the same classification after treatment. In all, 62.4% of patients achieved symptom control, and 34.3% of patients required no symptomatic medication after treatment. The rhinoconjunctivitis score was 34.4% lower for pre-seasonal treatment initiation than for the control group. Crowd-sourced symptom load indices showed that the 2016 season caused slightly more symptoms; however, it is assumed that this difference of 0.3–0.5 (score range 0–10) was of less clinical relevance.

Conclusion

The treatment administered using the rapid home-based up-dosing schedule was safe and well tolerated. Symptom relief and reduction in medication use were observed during the first pollen season with SLIT.

Trial registration number

NCT03097432 (clinicaltrials.gov).

An analysis of factors associated with compliance and dropout of sublingual immunotherapy on Japanese cedar pollinosis patients

BACKGROUND

Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is safe and effective but compliance is problematic. In this study we evaluated dropout and compliance among adults (≥20 years of age) and adolescents (<20 years of age) for Japanese cedar pollen extract (JCPE), an aqueous SLIT approved in 2014 in Japan.

METHODS

Administrative claims data on 1236 Japanese patients, 846 adults (mean age, 43.0 years; 41.8% female) and 249 adolescents (mean age, 14.1 years; 36.6% female), with a JCPE prescription between October 2014 and June 2016 were reviewed. Adults and adolescents were divided according to the year they started SLIT (1- and 2-year cohorts) to calculate dropout and compliance and identify associated factors using multivariate Cox and linear regression models.

RESULTS

In 1- and 2-year adult cohorts, dropout rates were 13.5% and 22.1% and compliance rates were 92.8% and 88.8%, respectively. Adolescents had higher dropout and lower compliance. Patients 40-59 years of age had a lower dropout risk than patients 20-29 years of age. Dropout hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) in 1- and 2-year cohorts were 0.26 (0.12-0.58) and 0.40 (0.17-0.93) in patients 40-49 years of age and 0.32 (0.14-0.75) and 0.35 (0.13-0.92) in patients 50-59 years of age, respectively. Younger age contributed to lower compliance in 1- and 2-year adult cohorts (p = 0.001 and p = 0.02, respectively). Systemic steroidal medication history and male gender were positively associated with compliance in adults but not in adolescents.

CONCLUSION

High dropout rate was associated with younger generations. Compliance in adults, but not in adolescents, was associated with age, systemic steroidal medication history, and gender.

Adherence to treatment in allergic respiratory diseases

Introduction: Asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR) are chronic conditions in which management needs adherence to prescribed drugs. Despite the benefits of regular maintenance of asthma and AR therapy, low adherence is a frequent issue in clinical practice. Areas covered: The aim of this review is to provide a targeted analysis of the more recent literature on adherence in asthma and AR, focused on the following areas: adherence extent, barriers and consequences, effects of educational interventions and use of new technologies to improve the level of adherence. Expert commentary: Despite the extent, reasons and effects of this problem being well known, non-adherence in asthma and allergic AR remains worryingly high. Poor adherence leads to unsatisfactory health outcomes, with a negative impact on patients and society. Recent literature suggests that successful programs to improve adherence should include a combination of strategies. The new technologies represent a promising tool to improve adherence.

Adherence During Early Allergen Immunotherapy and Strategies to Motivate and Support Patients

Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory conditions, affecting up to 30% of people in Europe. Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is the only treatment for allergic rhinitis and asthma that has a disease-modifying effect, and it is recommended in European guidelines for use in conjunction with patient education, specific allergen avoidance, and symptomatic pharmacotherapy. Reported AIT adherence rates vary widely but are often low in real-world settings. Factors known to affect adherence are patient, treatment, or physician-related, and vary between healthcare settings. Misconceptions or a lack of AIT knowledge among patients with regard to efficacy and side effects may contribute to high rates of discontinuation observed during the first year of AIT treatment. Interventions to improve patient adherence are multifaceted and should focus on patient education, particularly the provision of accurate information regarding adverse effects of AIT and when to expect an improvement in symptoms, patient-support programmes, and the use of regular eHealth reminders via a telephone call, text message, or social media. Serum-based biomarkers also have the potential to play a role in evaluating early response to AIT and in monitoring treatment adherence in clinical practice. In this review, the authors explore barriers to continuation with AIT and discuss initiatives to motivate and support patients through the challenging early months of treatment, prior to the onset of clinical effect and when side effects are most common, to encourage long-term adherence to therapy and achieve optimal patient outcomes.

From genomes to diaries: a 3-year prospective, real-life study of ragweed-specific sublingual immunotherapy

During the last decades, the prevalence of allergy has dramatically increased. Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only currently available medical intervention that has the potential to affect the natural course of the disease, but there are still many questions and unmet needs hindering its widespread use to fulfill its treatment potential and maximize its benefits for the society. To provide a comprehensive phenome-wide overview in sublingual immunotherapy, using ragweed allergy as a target, we planned and carried out a longitudinal, prospective, observational, open-label study (DesensIT). In this paper we present challenges of using deep and comprehensive phenotypes embracing biological, clinical and patient-reported outcomes in allergen-specific immunotherapy and show how we designed the DesensIT project to optimize data collection, processing and evaluation.

Sublingual grass allergen specific immunotherapy: a retrospective study of clinical outcome and discontinuation

Background

Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is effective, tolerable, and convenient for many allergic patients. Still, real-world evidence is scarce and the aim of this study is to assess the patient reported outcome of treatment with SLIT against grass pollen allergy in a consecutive patient population.

Methods

Patients (n = 329) who were confirmed to be allergic to timothy grass and had been prescribed SLIT were consecutively enrolled in the study and completed a questionnaire online or in hard copy.

Results

207 (62.9%) patients responded to the questionnaire. The female/male ratio was 105/102 with a mean age of 39 ± 11 years (range 19–70 years). 113 (55%) patients reported they had completed the full 3-year treatment period, 49 (24%) were still on treatment, and 45 (22%) had discontinued treatment prematurely. Respondents who had completed the full treatment period reported that their allergy symptoms in the most recent grass pollen season had improved to a larger extent than subjects still on treatment or discontinuing the treatment prematurely. Improvement of asthma was twice as common among patients who completed compared to discontinued treatment (42 vs. 20%). Younger age (37 ± 12 vs. 41 ± 11 years, p < 0.001) and a higher prevalence of reported oral and/or gastrointestinal side effects (49 vs. 24%, p = 0.02) characterised the group that terminated SLIT. Forgetfulness was the most commonly reported specific reason.

Conclusion

Treatment perseverance resulted in improved patient reported outcome. Forgetfulness was the most frequently reported reason for discontinuing SLIT treatment against grass pollen allergy.

Cost-effectiveness of grass pollen subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) compared to sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) and symptomatic treatment in Austria, Spain, and Switzerland

BACKGROUND

While specific immunotherapy (SIT) has been proven to be cost-effective for the treatment of allergic rhinitis compared to symptomatic treatment, there is a lack of European studies in which sublingual (SLIT) and subcutaneous (SCIT) immunotherapy were compared. The present analysis is focused on the cost-effectiveness of SCIT compared to SLIT and symptomatic treatment of grass pollen allergy in Austria, Spain, and Switzerland. It will address specific properties of the underlying healthcare systems.

METHODS

The investigation is based on a previously published health economic model calculation. This was designed as a Markov model with pre-defined health stages and a duration of 9 years covering specific preparations for SCIT (Allergovit) and SLIT (Oralair). The effectiveness was assessed as symptom-score based quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Additionally, total cost has been determined as well as the cost-effectiveness of SCIT. The robustness of model results was proved in further sensitivity analyses.

RESULTS

With regard to the effectiveness of both SCIT and SLIT, preparations were dominant compared to pharmacological symptomatic therapy. Both strategies were associated with additional cost, but, combined with the results on effectiveness, both have to be regarded as cost-effective. A direct comparison of the SCIT (Allergovit) and SLIT (Oralair) showed lower total costs of SCIT vs SLIT for Austria, Spain, and Switzerland (€1,368 vs €2,012, €2,229 vs €2,547, and €1,901 vs €2,220) and superior effectiveness (SCIT =8.02 QALYs; SLIT =7.98 QALYs; and symptomatic therapy =7.90 QALYs).

CONCLUSION

In patients with allergic rhinitis, SIT offers cost-effective treatment options compared to symptomatic treatment. When comparing SCIT (Allergovit) and SLIT (Oralair), SCIT was dominant in terms of QALYs as well as costs, in particular due to a slightly higher patient compliance and lower drug costs.

Pharmacoeconomics of sublingual immunotherapy with the 5-grass pollen tablets for seasonal allergic rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis has a very high burden regarding both direct and indirect costs. This makes essential in the management of AR to reduce the clinical severity of the disease and thus to lessen its costs. This particularly concerns allergen immunotherapy (AIT), that, based on its immunological action on the causes of allergy, extends its benefit also after discontinuation of the treatment. From the pharmacoeconomic point of view, any treatment must be evaluated according to its cost-effectiveness, that is, the ratio between the cost of the intervention and its effect. A favorable cost-benefit ratio for AIT was defined, starting from the first studies in the 1990s on subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) in AR patients, that highlighted a clear advantage on costs over the treatment with symptomatic drugs. Such outcome was confirmed also for sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), that has also the advantage on SCIT to be free of the cost of the injections. Here we review the available literature on pharmacoeconomic data for SLIT with the 5-grass pollen tablets.

[Adherence in specific immunotherapy]

Allergies are steadily gaining in importance in the Western world. For over one hundred years, immunology has been the only causal treatment. Specific immunotherapy (SIT) aims at the cure of allergy or at least freedom from allergy symptoms. In association with this, adherence poses a complex problem. Both treatment applications commonly used in Germany-sublingual and subcutaneous immunotherapy-show poor persistence on the part of the patients. In most cases, SIT is not carried out to the end of the recommended duration and instead is discontinued prematurely. Corresponding figures from 3‑year studies in the literature range from 41- 93% for uncompleted SLIT and from 40-77% for uncompleted SCIT. Patient adherence is subject to influencing factors of various dimensions that are interdependent in complex relationships. The physician-patient relationship is just as decisive a factor for treatment success as the patient's understanding of allergy, treatment, and the importance of adherence.

Nonadherence to sublingual immunotherapy in allergic rhinitis: a real-life analysis

BACKGROUND

To sustain the long-lasting beneficial effects of allergen-specific sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), an adequate duration of treatment is required. Nevertheless, many patients discontinue prematurely and therefore fail to obtain satisfactory therapeutic effect in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to analyze the causes leading to premature discontinuation of SLIT in allergic rhinitis (AR), and to provide the corresponding countermeasures for the following SLIT course.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of data from 142 patients with AR who started SLIT during the period from December 2009 to February 2015. Patients were contacted at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months into SLIT as part of our standard of care. The patients who claimed to have stopped treatment were asked to provide a reason during one of the phone calls.

RESULTS

Overall, 76 (54%) patients with AR terminated immunotherapy during the first year of treatment. Among the 76 patients, the following reasons were cited for nonadherence to immunotherapy: patients could not be reached (25%); ineffectiveness (24%); the long course (18%); improvement of symptoms (13%); side effects (4%); lack of confidence in the treatment (4%); or other reasons (12%).

CONCLUSION

Fifty-four percent of AR patients terminated their treatment within the first year of SLIT. The top reasons for treatment discontinuation included patients not be reached, ineffectiveness, and length of course.

Critical appraisal of the clinical utility of sublingual immunotherapy in allergy

Since it was introduced by Noon in 1911, allergen-specific immunotherapy or desensitization has been widely prescribed in the management of allergic diseases. Aimed at the etiology, it represents the only effective treatment for allergy. The basic mechanisms of immunotherapy are becoming better understood and allow us to improve this technique in the future. The sublingual immunotherapy as an alternative to subcutaneous route has been widely studied. Several clinical trials confirmed that sublingual immunotherapy is efficient in reducing allergic respiratory symptoms. The sublingual immunotherapy reduces the risk of developing serious side effects due to desensitization. We performed a literature review in order to remind the mechanisms of action and to demonstrate efficacy and tolerability of the sublingual immunotherapy in the treatment of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma and its impact on the quality of life.

Importance of Quality of Life for Adherence to Sublingual Immunotherapy

Background. Nonperception of efficacy ranks among the most commonly cited causes for nonadherence to sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT). Quality of life (QoL) in patients is a determining factor influencing adherence. We investigated QoL and adherence separately in SLIT patients at one pediatric practice in Germany. Methods. We conducted a noninterventional, cross-sectional, retrospective, quality-of-life survey among pediatric patients treated with SLIT. QoL was assessed using the generic SF-12 health survey in German. The items contained in the SF-12 health survey are weighted, added up, and converted to obtain a physical component score (PCS) and a mental component score (MCS). Each component score ranges from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the better the QoL perceived. Results. 201 surveyed patients who had undergone SLIT showed PCS-12 of 49.3 (± 7.0) and MCS-12 of 52.6 (± 7.2). These figures correlate strongly with those reported for the German general population (n = 2453): PCS-12 of 49.6 (± 8.7) and MCS-12 of 52.3 (± 8.0). 70.2% (73) of 104 patients were adherent at this practice. Conclusions. QoL in the SLIT patients surveyed here appears as good as that of the general population. Adherence to SLIT at this practice was remarkably better than that reported elsewhere.