Cat allergy shot immunotherapy is a common way of managing the manifestation of allergies in people who are reactive to cat dander among other allergens. If you are a victim of allergy to cat dander, I understand you because as an immunologist, I know it can take toll on your life.
Matters even become more complicated when you are in love with cats as your pets. That’s your heart passionately loves the cats and considers them friends.
However, your immune system passionately hates the cats and considers them enemies. There is a great conflict here which is quite unfair to you, isn’t it?
To mitigate the situation, you have been visiting your allergist to receive Cat allergy shot for immunotherapy from time to time.
The intention here has been to ‘persuade’ your immune system to tolerate the cat dander. However, nothing has been working and this has greatly affected your productivity.
Now there is good news for you today. Scientists in the US have found a specific monoclonal antibody that greatly enhances your normal Cat allergy shot to make it work nearly perfectly.
Background of Rhinitis Mechanism of Development
During rhinitis caused by an immune response to an allergen, your body (nose, lungs, intestines, skin) produces a protein called thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) which plays an important role in inflammatory allergy.
Tezepelumab is a human monoclonal antibody raised against TSLP which can block this protein and reduce allergic reaction signs and symptoms.
Many people have allergic rhinitis because of immune response to cat dander. Normally such patients are subjected to cat subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) also called Cat allergy shot immunotherapy for treatment.
However, there has been little success in this type of treatment and patients have continued to suffer hopelessly. Let us now see what the US scientists discovered in a recent clinical trial.
Cat Allergy Shot Plus Tezepelumab Breakthrough
Scientists from U.S. National Institutes of Health have reported success in using combination treatment of Cat Allergy Shot + Tezepelumab.
This was reported in a randomized phase 1/2 clinical trial that involved 121 patients with allergic rhinitis and published recently in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
In this study participants were randomized to receive either of the following:
- Cat Allergy Shot (i.e SCIT) only
- Cat Allergy Shot plus intravenous tezepelumab
- Intravenous tezepelumab only
- Placebo shot only
They were followed for a total of 52 weeks and observations made as time went by. After 52 weeks of follow-up, the group that received Cat Allergy Shot + tezepelumab better outcomes.
They had significantly reduced (36%) signs and symptoms ofallergic rhinitis compared to the group that received the Cat Allergy Shot only.
As such the reported observations were sustained at 24% reduction even one year later. This way a significantly longer time compared to what has been achieved with other forms of allergy immunotherapeutic treatments.
Interpretation of the Results
What this means is that combination treatment of Cat Allergy Shot plus tezepelumab can deliver the always-elusive long-term control of allergic reactions to cat dander and avert the possibility of allergic rhinitis.
There was better tolerance of the immune system to Cat dander with the combination therapy in this clinical trial.
The scientists can now move to the next phase of clinical trial and make this breakthrough available to the millions of people suffering to a point of becoming unproductive in their day to day lives.
Final thoughts on Cat Allergy Shot Plus Tezepelumab
This breakthrough certainly pumps new hope as achieving the right balance between suppression of the immune system to tolerate allergens and maintaining a competent immune system that can protect you has always been a challenge.
The allergic rhinitis patients have had to endure the effects of massive inflammation that accompanies this allergic immune response for years. There is hope in the long run and we credit these scientists for their efforts to realize such an achievement.
Now I can own a cat 🐈🐈
Sure Diha
I now understand,,am allergic to cats,,but now I understand,, thanks Sir 🙏
Thanks a lot Brian
Very comprehensive