The effect of the ragweed sublingual immunotherapy tablet MK-3641 on rescue medication use

Background Allergic rhinitis with/without conjunctivitis (AR/C) sufferers often rely on pharmacotherapy to relieve symptoms. Although the main goal of immunotherapy is long-term disease modification, reducing or eliminating the need for pharmacotherapy is also an important and desirable treatment goal. Methods Data were pooled from two trials that evaluated the efficacy and safety of short-ragweed sublingual immunotherapy tablet (SLIT-T), MK-3641 (Ambrosia artemisiifolia; Merck/ALK-Abello). Subjects with ragweed-pollen– induced AR/C were randomized ~16 weeks before the 2010 pollen season to once-daily MK-3641 (6 or 12 Amb a 1-U doses; one trial also included a no-effect dose of 1.5 Amb a 1-U) or placebo. During the trial, all subjects, whether taking MK-3641 or placebo, could use AR/C rescue medication, including oral/ocular antihistamines and intranasal/oral corticosteroids. We examined rescue medication use in all groups.