European Journal of Rhinology and Allergy
Original Article

Short-Course Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy with Modified Grass/Tree Allergoids Using a Microcrystalline Tyrosine (MCT®) and Monophosphoryl Lipid A (MPL) Adjuvant System Decreases Specific Immunoglobulin E Levels

1.

Practice for Pulmonary and Bronchial Medicine, Cologne, Germany

2.

ClinCompetence Cologne GmbH, Cologne, Germany

3.

Institute of Medical Statistics and Computational Biology, University of Cologne Faculty of Medicine, Cologne, Germany

4.

Bencard Allergie GmbH, Munich, Germany

5.

AllergyTherapeutics plc, Worthing, United Kingdom

6.

University of Cologne Faculty of Medicine, Cologne, Germany

Eur J Rhinol Allergy 2022; 5: 89-96
DOI: 10.5152/ejra.2022.22070
Read: 1686 Downloads: 370 Published: 16 December 2022

Objective: Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is currently the only disease-modifying therapy option against pollen allergy. To date, there is no validated biomarker to assess the outcome of AIT. Allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) determines the diagnosis of allergy and constitutes a prerequisite for initiation of AIT. However, only few studies shed light on the long-term effectiveness of the treatment, in terms of the correlation of efficacy parameters to the change of allergen-specific IgE levels.

Methods: A retrospective evaluation of short-course allergen-specific immunotherapy with a modified grass/tree allergoid using a microcrystalline tyrosine (MCT®) and monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) adjuvant system (MATA-MPL) was performed on 111 patients. All patients were treated for at least 3 consecutive years and received a questionnaire to obtain feedback on the change in symptoms and quality of life over the treatment course. In addition, based on the patient medical records, an evaluation of allergen-specific IgE before/after AIT, the medication intake, the lung function in asthmatic patients, and the influence of the level of allergen-specific IgE on the continuation of AIT was performed.

Results: A decrease in specific IgE levels, determined using the enzyme allergo sorbent test (EAST), was shown for both patients with allergy to grass and patients with allergy to tree pollen after 3 years of AIT (Δ IgE trees total population: −6.20 kUA/L; P=.027, Δ IgE EAST class ≥4: −25.49 kUA/L, P < .002). Patients reported an improvement in general symptomatology regarding the eyes, nose, and lung on a scale from 1 to 10 (mean: −3.57, −3.76, and −2.89, EAST class ≥4: −3.59, −3.59, and −2.59). The proportion of patients in the total population who did not need symptomatic medication increased from 5.4% to 20.7% in the total population and from 13.6% to 22.7% in the population showing EAST class ≥4 prior to AIT. Overall, more than 70% of patients noted improved quality of life.

Conclusion: This non-interventional, retrospective study confirmed the improvement of allergic symptoms, quality of life, and reduction of medication use after short-course AIT with a microcrystalline tyrosine (MCT®) and monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) adjuvant system (MATA-MPL) with tree and/or grass pollen extracts and corresponding mixtures under routine practice. Concurrently, a significant reduction in allergen-specific IgE levels after tree pollen-specific allergen-specific immunotherapy was observed.

Cite this article as: Stollewerk D, Niebecker M, Fuchs E, et al. Short-course allergen-specific immunotherapy with modified grass/tree allergoids using a microcrystalline tyrosine (MCT®) and monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) adjuvant system decreases specific immunoglobulin E levels. Eur J Rhinol Allergy 2022;5(3):89-96.

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