Mite allergy: first drug coming soon. One in three Italians suffer from it

A “historic breakthrough” for dust mite allergy sufferers. The Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. agency that regulates drugs, has approved the first pill therapy to be dissolved under the tongue and is indicated for those with allergic rhinitis. This medication exposes patients to mite allergens, gradually training the immune system to reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms of nose and eye allergy’allergies. It’s a tablet that is taken once a day and dissolves quickly once placed under the tongue.

The first dose is taken under the supervision of a physician, who observes the patient for at least 30 minutes for any adverse reactions. If it is well tolerated, the patient can take the medication home. It can take 8 to 14 weeks to start noticing visible improvements.

Dust mite disease can have a negative impact on people’s quality of life. The approval of this drug is an’alternative to existing ones” comments Peter Marks, director of the Fda’s Biologics Evaluation Center. Allergy to dust mites is one of the most common in Western countries, both because of its wide spread (modern homes create an ideal microclimate for mites to thrive at any latitude) and because of the high allergenicity of these small arthropods. Even numerous studies have documented that mites are the main risk factor for the development of asthma; it has been, moreover, observed that in children mites can promote the appearance of other allergies (mold, animals, pollens). They are therefore considered as a possible source of multiple allergies.

There are 70 million in Europe, while in our country one in three Italians is affected by allergic diseases and 50 percent say they have had at least once an episode of suspected allergic nature. Among the most common diseases asthma and rhinitis from which 3 and 12 million Italians suffer, respectively, caused by pollen, dust mites or animal hair, such as dogs and cats. In addition, asthma and rhinitis may frequently coexist in the same patient. According to the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, highlights Giovanni D’Agata president of Sportello dei Diritti,” that of allergies should be considered a true pandemic and estimates show that within ten years 50 percent of Europeans will have some type of allergy. Today, in the Old Continent, where it is the most common chronic disease, one in three children is allergic.

Asthma and rhinitis cause 100 million lost work and school days each year.