'Life-changing' treatment could help thousands of people with severe dust mite allergy
'Life-changing' treatment could help thousands of people with severe dust mite allergy
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Thousands of people with a severe dust mite allergy could benefit from a "life-changing" first-of-its-kind tablet on the NHS. Common symptoms of a severe dust mite allergy, or allergic rhinitis, include sneezing, an itchy nose, a runny or blocked nose and itchy, red and watery eyes.
In severe cases it can be debilitating and cause facial swelling, fatigue and affect people's sleep, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said. The institute has approved a drug called 12 SQ-HDM SLIT for people aged 12 to 65 with persistent moderate to severe house dust mite allergic rhinitis.
NICE said around 13,000 people in England could benefit from the therapy, which is the first treatment it has recommended for the condition. The drug, also known as Acarizax, works by increasing the body's resistance to house dust mites and is of particular benefit to people whose symptoms do not respond enough to treatment such as steroid nasal sprays and antihistamines.
By giving a regular fixed amount of house dust mite allergy extract every day, the body can become less sensitive to the effect of dust mites, cutting the symptoms of the allergic reaction over time. Bishop of Liverpool retires amid misconduct allegations.
Money blog: Barclays sends WFH memo to 85,000 staff - as 'new normal' increasingly starts to resemble the old one. UK ticketholder bags £83m EuroMillions jackpot - as players urged to check tickets. The treatment, made by ALK-Abello, is taken for three years at home to build up the body's resistance.
