People in England with severe dust mite allergy to be offered daily pill on NHS
People in England with severe dust mite allergy to be offered daily pill on NHS
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Tablet will particularly benefit people who do not respond enough to steroid nasal sprays and antihistamines. Thousands of people in England who live with severe dust mite allergy are to be offered a first-of-its-kind daily pill to treat the condition on the NHS.
In final draft guidance published on Thursday, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has given the green light to a drug shown to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life. The tablet – 12 SQ-HDM SLIT, also known as Acarizax and made by ALK-Abelló – 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 taking 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. The treatment is taken for three years at home to build up the body’s resistance.
House dust mites are tiny creatures that feed on dead skin cells. It is not possible to completely remove all house dust mites from a home, no matter how clean it is. Nice said at least 13,000 people aged 12 to 65 with persistent moderate to severe house dust mite allergic rhinitis could benefit from the therapy, which is the first treatment it has recommended for the condition.
