Background: Specific immunotherapy (IT) is an effective treatment for rhinitis and asthma caused by aeroallergens sensitization. Sublingual IT (SLIT) was introduced to solve the problem of systemic reactions to subcutaneous IT (SCIT) and developed to represent an actual treatment option. It is now generally accepted that allergen doses much higher than those administered by SCIT must be used to achieve clinical efficacy on allergic symptoms.
Objective: To evaluate the characteristics of Staloral, an allergen extract produced by Stallergenes (Antony, France) in terms of practical administration, efficacy, safety and mechanism of action.
Methods: Data were obtained from 20 double-blind, placebo-controlled studies using Staloral in patients sensitized to pollens and house-dust mites, and also from open studies concerning practical administration and the mechanism of action.
Results/conclusion: Efficacy and safety of Staloral, as demonstrated by the revision of the studies, which used doses up to 1125 times those administered with SCIT, are very satisfactory and confer to this allergen extract optimal characteristics for treating patients with seasonal allergies due to pollens or with perennial symptoms induced by dust mites. The main mechanism of action is the interaction with dendritic cells of the oral mucosa and the subsequent tolerance induced in T cells.