About Allergies: Ragweed Sublingual Tablet and Another Grass Tablet Approved

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Allergies Allergies Symptoms / Diagnosis Treatment Coping From Daniel More, MD, your Guide to Allergies The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week approved another sublingual grass immunotherapy tablet (Grastek) as well as a sublingual ragweed immunotherapy tablet (Ragwitek). The approval of Grastek comes a few weeks after the first sublingual grass tablet, Oralair, was approved for the treatment of grass pollen induced allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis. Oralair is a mixture of five major Northern Pasture grass pollens (Sweet Vernal, Orchard, Perennial Rye, Timothy, and Kentucky Blue Grass), while Grastek contains a single grass pollen (Timothy Grass). Given the high rate of cross-reactivity among the Northern Pasture grasses, either version would be expected to be effective as immunotherapy -- especially since Timothy Grass is the most important of this group.   Sublingual Immunotherapy (Allergy Drops) Sublingual immunotherapy, or SLIT, is a form of immunotherapy that involves putting drops of allergen extracts under the tongue. Many people refer to this process as “allergy drops,” and it is an alternative treatment for allergy shots. This form of immunotherapy has been used for years in Europe, and recently has had increased interest in the United States. However, it is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. Grass Allergy Grass pollen is known to cause a variety of different allergic reactions. Grass pollen is present in the air in the late spring and early summer months, which can cause allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis and asthma. Direct skin contact with grass, from sitting in the grass or mowing the lawn, can cause itching of the skin -- urticaria and atopic dermatitis. Grass allergy can also be associated with the fruit pollen syndrome resulting in food allergies to tomatoes, potatoes and peaches. Search Related Topics:  pollen allergy  summer allergies  oral allergy syndrome Ragweed Allergy Autumn brings to mind images of cooler weather, leaves changing color and kids going back to school. It may also bring images of nasal congestion, sneezing and boxes of nasal tissue for those of us suffering from ragweed allergy. Ragweed pollen, which is released from ragweed mostly between August and October, is one of the most important causes of fall hay fever symptoms. Search Related Topics:  pollen allergy  pollen avoidance  oral allergy syndrome Spring Allergy Season Has Sprung Finally, the cold weather has gone away, and the outdoors are looking green again. With the warmer weather comes the pollen, and most areas of the country are seeing significant... Read more Related Searches What Are Allergies Seasonal Allergy Allergy or Allergies Nasal Allergies Asthma and Allergies Featured Articles Insect Allergies Anaphylaxis Allergy Shots and Drops (Immunotherapy) Alternative Therapies in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergies Glossary of Terms Information on the Most Common Allergy Medications   More from About.com Sign-up for Shareables! An every-morning rundown of the day in history, headlines and trends produced by your pals at About.com. Please sign up it's free (of course), we think you will like it! Want More From About.com Check out our social page tailored to your interest! This newsletter is written by: Daniel More, MD Allergies Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Allergies newsletter. If you wish to change your email address, please click here. If you would like to unsubscribe from all newsletters sent from About.com, please send an email to optout@about.com with "Unsubscribe" as the subject line. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2014 About.com   Must Reads What are Allergies? Symptoms of Allergies Diagnosis of Allergies Treatment of Allergies Preventing Allergies   Follow me on: Advertisement