• Submitted by: manso
• Society
• 03 / 01 / 2011

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2011.02.28 / radiorebelde.icrt.cu. CAMAGUEY, CUBA.- Camaguey’s Manuel Ascunce Domenench Teaching Hospital is leading the clinical watch of a Cuban made sublingual vaccine to prevent allergies as an alternative to allergy shots.

The president of Camaguey-Ciego de Avila Allergy Chapter Yudith Rodriguez told ACN the vaccine is applied to more than 600 patients at the institution, noting that its effectiveness has been proved in the treatment of allergies caused by mites of powder, fungi and other allergens.

The sublingual drops used in Camaguey since 2009 reduces the side effects caused by traditional shots such as pain, local stinging, nasal congestion and trouble breathing.

Rodriguez added that the clinical studies are held on the post-commercialization stage to evaluate the effectiveness of the product in the long term and the safety of being supplied in every allergy clinic in the province.

Valergen drops are applied under the tongue on daily increasing doses and then twice a week for three to five years. It guarantees a greater adhesion to the treatment since patients don’t have to go to a hospital or clinic and avoids the uncomfortable shots, said Alejandro Betancourt, 19, who suffers from Asthma.

Betancourt said his condition has been kept under control since he started using Valergen and that he has a better quality of life because he is currently able to perform open-air activities without having allergy crises.

The vaccine eliminates all the symptoms of hay fever, allergic conjunctivitis, and bronchial asthma, and prevents such conditions to grow from a moderate state into more serious conditions such as cardiac respiratory arrest, said the doctor.

According to the specialist, immunotherapy is the only treatment capable of modifying the course of the disease as antihistaminic and steroids only relieve the symptoms, while vaccines help build a stronger immune system against allergens.(ACN)