Release date: 25 June 2001

This month’s issue of Allergy, a top rank peer-reviewed allergy journal, contains a highly detailed article featuring a clinical trial of ATL’s latest immunotherapeutic treatment of grass pollen hay fever.

ATL Medical Director Dr Karl Jurgen Drachenberg, R&D Director Dr Alan Wheeler and Professor Friedrich Horak of the ENT University Clinic Vienna describe a multi-centre, placebo-controlled double-blind study of Pollinex® Quattro. Pollinex® Quattro is a tyrosine-adsorbed glutaraldehyde-modified grass pollen allergy vaccine containing the new adjuvant MPL®. This adjuvant enhances the efficacy of the vaccine via 'T cell switching' which means that only four 'shots' are necessary for an efficacious treatment. This is considerably less in number than alternative products (eg 8-12 for depot adjuvant vaccines and up to 20 for aqueous vaccines). Statistically significant improvements in the symptom and medication scores are detailed, coupled with a good safety profile.

The reference is: Drachenberg KJ, Wheeler AW, Stuebner P, Horak F.

A well-tolerated grass pollen specific allergy vaccine containing a novel adjuvant, monophosphoryl lipid A, reduces allergic symptoms after only four preseasonal injections.
Allergy 2001; 56: 489-505.