Dissolvable tablets don’t work for people with severe allergies to grass pollen

It’s summertime and—if you’re in Eugene, Oregon—the livin’ is sneezy. Eugene is the nation’s top spot for allergies this week according to IMS Health, a health information company that provides allergy alerts for cities across the nation. Eugene residents can blame their runny noses and itchy eyes on the city’s abundant grasses, which are currently spewing high levels of pollen into the air. Eugene is just the tip of the allergy iceberg. If you live near a patch of green, you routinely inhale pollen. You’re in good company if your body reacts to it. More than 50 million Americans have pollen allergies or hay fever. If you have a troublesome allergy to grass pollen but have resisted getting allergy shots, you might have cheered last year when the FDA approved a no-needles alternative a daily tablet you let dissolve under your tongue. Unfortunately, an analysis of 13 controlled clinical trials published online this week by JAMA Internal Medicine indicates that dissolvable tablets are only slightly more effective than placebos in curtailing classic symptoms of grass pollen allergy—runny nose, itchy eyes, and tickly throat. To make matters worse, more than 60% of people who used the tablets experienced irritating side effects. “I was disappointed when I saw the data indicating how ineffective they are,” says Dr. Nicolas BuSaba, associate professor of otology and laryngology at Harvard Medical School. However, Dr. BuSaba isn...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Asthma and Allergies dissolvable tablets grass pollen allergies Source Type: news