Grass pollen sublingual immunotherapy tablets provide long-term relief of grass pollen-associated allergic rhinitis and reduce the risk of asthma: findings from a retrospective, real-world database subanalysis

ABSTRACT

Background: We assessed real-world, long-term effectiveness of two marketed sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) tablets for allergic rhinitis (AR), and their impact on allergic asthma (AA) onset/progression.

Methods: Retrospective, longitudinal German prescription database subanalysis of AR patients receiving 5- or 1-grass pollen SLIT tablets (n = 1,466/1,385), versus patients not using allergy immunotherapy (AIT) (n = 71,275).

Primary endpoint: change over time in AR symptomatic medication prescriptions after treatment cessation; secondary endpoints: new asthma onset, and change over time in asthma medication prescriptions during treatment/follow-up periods.

Results: Mean number of AR medication prescriptions was significantly decreased during follow-up (of up to 6 years) with both SLIT tablets versus the non-AIT group (p < 0.001).

Over the full-analysis period, proportions of patients with new-onset asthma were 8.8% (odds ratio: 0.676, p = 0.011), 10.3% (odds ratio: 0.720, p = 0.060) and 11.6% in the 5- and 1-grass pollen SLIT tablet and non-AIT groups, respectively.

For all treatment-analysis periods, both SLIT tablet groups were associated with fewer asthma medication prescriptions versus non-AIT controls.

Conclusions: These findings confirm the real-world benefits of 5- and 1-grass-pollen SLIT tablets in slower AR progression, reduced risk of new asthma onset in the non-asthmatic population, and slower asthma progression in the asthmatic population.

KEYWORDS:

• Allergic rhinitis
• asthma
• grass pollen
• real-world
• sublingual immunotherapy

Declaration of interest

Medical writing support was provided by James Reed, PhD of Newmed Publishing Services and funded by Stallergenes Greer in accordance with Good Publication Practice (GPP3) guidelines (http://www.ismpp.org/gpp3). P Devillier has received fees for lectures and advisory boards from ALK-Abelló, Astra Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, GlaxoSmithKline, IMS Health GmbH & Co. OHG, Meda Pharma, Menarini, Novartis, Nycomed-Takeda, Sandoz, Stallergenes Greer and Teva. U Wahn has received consulting fees from Allergopharma, Danone, Hipp, Merck, Novartis, IMS Health GmbH & Co and Stallergenes Greer; honoraria for lectures from ALK-Abelló, Allergopharma, Allergy Therapeutics, LETI, MSD, Nestlé, Novartis, Nutricia and Stallergenes Greer; and research funding from Stallergenes Greer. S Zielen has received fees for lectures and advisory boards from ALK-Abelló Arzneimittel GmbH, Allergopharma GmbH, Allergy Therapeutics, Lofarma GmbH, bene-Arzneimittel GmbH, Biotest, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline GmbH, IMS Health GmbH & Co. OHG, Novartis AG and Vifor Pharma Deutschland GmbH. J Heinrich has received consulting fees from IMS Health GmbH & Co. OHG and Kabi. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by Stallergenes Greer.