Status of standardized allergen extracts

Abstract

Standardization of allergen extracts was initiated in the mid-1970s, and that effort continues today. Research and standardization of these products have fostered communication concerning appropriate dosing and dose response with standardized allergen extracts, allowing comparison between recommended doses for various allergens and doses that have been proven effective for those allergens. Immunotherapy as a treatment for allergy has also been enhanced by the development of standardized allergen extracts. Recent studies with standardized allergen extracts conclude that allergy symptoms and antiallergic or antiasthmatic medication use in allergic/asthmatic patients can be reduced using immunotherapy with these products, and these desirable effects persist long term, perhaps even permanently, after cessation of immunotherapy. Standardization of allergen extracts has resulted in products that are safer, more stable, and lend themselves to meaningful research in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies.