No abstract

Summary Grass pollen extract was reacted with glutaraldehyde, and used in the form of a lyrosine adsorbate for the treatment of hay fever. The incidence of systemic reactions was reduced by the chemical treatment to negligible levels, permitting the therapeutic‐schedule to be reduced to three doses without impairment of clinical effectiveness. The levels of pollen‐specific IgG antibody induced by the chemically modified material were similar to those induced by pollen‐tyrosine or by alum‐precipitated pyridine extract. The increase in IgE antibody induced by glutaraldehyde‐pollen‐tyrosine was lower than that induced by pollen‐tyrosine: only the falter achieved significance.

Grass pollen extract adsorbed on to a suspension of L-tyrosine has been tested over 2 years as a treatment for hay fever. Eight-or nine-dose courses terminating at doses of between 1000 and 10,000 Noon units were equally effective when compared either with a placebo or with a pyridine-extracted alum precipitate.

Summary A direct comparison was made in 112 hay fever patients of hyposensitization treatment with glutaraldehyde‐pollen‐tyrosine adsorbate (Pollinex) and with alum‐precipitated pyridine extract (Alavac‐P) which is an accepted form of treatment, its efficacy having been shown by a comparative trial against a placebo preparation. No significant difference could be detected between the results of the two forms of treatment. Seventy‐seven per cent of patients responded with improvement following treatment with the tyrosine adsorbed vaccine, and 81% of those receiving the alum‐precipitated vaccine. Side effects from treatment, both local and general, were generally of an infrequent or mild nature for both vaccines.

Atopic subjects treated with pollen-tyrosine showed increased IgG and IgE antibody levels; in the second year of treatment the IgE response was suppressed.