Immunotherapy with Alginate‐Conjugated and Alum‐Precipitated Grass Pollen Extracts in Patients with Allergic Rhinoconjunctivitis

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Abstract
To compare the safety and the efficacy of 2 grass pollen extracts made from the same starting material, i.e., equal proportions of cocksfoot and timothy, a 3-yr study was made on patients with hay fever. One product was a dialyzed aqueous extract of pollens which was chemically conjugated to activated sodium alginate (Conjuvac). The other was a pyridine-extracted alum-precipitated crude extract (Allpyral). Forty patients with classical hay fever were admitted to the study. All gave positive result to prick and nasal/conjunctival testing with extracts of both cocksfoot and timothy grass. Patients (35) completed all 3 yr of the study. Of the patients, 17/18 Allpyral-treated amd 17/17 Conjuvac-treated patients were subjectively improved. There was no significant difference in symptom scores between the 2 groups. Challenge tests showed a tendency to reduced sensitivity to allergen in the Conjuvac-treated but not in the Allpyral-treated group. The median values for specific IgG and IgE showed the same pattern of reaction as seen in earlier studies of pollen hyposensitization. There was a greater increase of grass-specific IgG in the Conjuvac-treated patients. No serious adverse effects were seen in any of the treatment groups but there were slightly fewer side effects in the Conjuvac group.