Content about Allergy

FOSTER CITY, Calif. — A take-home allergy test called MyAllergyTest will be available beginning Oct. 1 in retail markets in the Midwest through a partnership between supplier ImmuneTech and Meijer, ImmuneTech announced Tuesday.

MyAllergyTest provides customers with the ability to conduct a personal allergy test in the privacy of their own home. Once diagnosed, consumers are better able to self manage their allergies.

JERUSALEM — The Food and Drug Administration has accepted an approval application for a drug made by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries for treating allergies, Teva said.

The Israeli drug maker said the FDA accepted its application for BDP Nasal HFA (beclomethasone dipropionate hydrofluoroalkane) for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis and perennial allergic rhinitis. The drug is a nasal aerosol corticosteroid.

In the year leading up to the switch of Allegra, Sanofi generated $214.2 million in U.S. prescription sales of Allegra, largely due to the generic competition against its Allegra D formulation. Now Sanofi is looking to virtually match those annual sales figures within the much more profitable nonprescription venue with the company’s successful switch from prescription to OTC this spring. 


MADISON, N.J. — A recent Quest Diagnostics "Health Trends Report" released Wednesday raised the possibility that men have a higher risk for allergies than women or that men, as a function of their gender, require different reporting standards when evaluated for allergies with increasingly used blood tests.

Prior research had suggested just the opposite — that women experienced allergies more frequently than men.

IRVINE, Calif. — Cobalis on Tuesday began airing 60-second television commercials in support of its PreHistin allergy defense formula across national cable and satellite networks as part of a planned $5 million spend, the company announced.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Lysol, a Reckitt Benckiser brand, is looking to help allergy sufferers this spring.

The brand announced that it has tapped pediatrician and author Laura Jana, as well as Lysol microbiologist Joe Rubino, to help identify allergen triggers and ways to avoid them. The two star in Lysol's "Allergy-Proofing Your Home" video series, which can be viewed here.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The 2011 allergy season is expected to be 27 days longer in the northernmost parts of North America, adding almost a month of suffering to the typical pollen allergy season of February through October, a study published Tuesday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences determined.

IRVINGTON, N.Y. — Prestige Brands on Wednesday announced the launch of a new one-dose-per-day allergy medicine: PediaCare 24-Hour Allergy.

"We listened to what the moms were looking for: a safe and effective allergy product for their children, ages 2 years and up, that works, has only one dose per day and tastes good," stated Sherry Polevoy, PediaCare senior brand manager. "Parents don't have to worry about redosing during the day, it's dye-free and it's a flavor that kids love: grape."

SAN FRANCISCO — Less than 20% of surveyed patients with nasal allergies find their symptoms are completely controlled over a one-week period of treatment, according to a survey performed by drug maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries.

MONMOUTH JUNCTION, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has accepted a regulatory approval application from Tris Pharma for a drug to treat allergies in children ages 2 years and older, Tris said Wednesday.

Tris said that if approved, its carbinoxamine extended-release oral suspension would provide an alternative to currently available immediate-release formulations.

PARIS — Allegra is less than a week away from reaching shelves on March 4, and with the latest allergy switch will come a significant number of Rx allergy sufferers this summer.


BASKING RIDGE, N.J. — Mylan subsidiary Dey Pharma has launched a mobile application for patients at risk of severe allergic reactions, which is tied to its EpiPen product.

The MyEpiPen app is available for the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, and allows individuals, parents, guardians and others to create and share profiles of severe allergies with friends, family, teachers, school nurses, babysitters and others. Other features include an instructional video, user guide and others.