DESENSITISING VACCINES
In view of concerns about the safety of desensitising
vaccines, it is recommended that they are used by
specialists and only for the following indications:
. seasonal allergic hay fever (caused by pollen) that has
not responded to anti-allergic drugs;
. hypersensitivity to wasp and bee venoms.
Manufacturer advises desensitising vaccines should
generally be avoided or used with particular care in
patients with asthma.
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→Appendix 1: grass pollen extract
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SIDE-EFFECTS, FURTHER INFORMATION Hypersensitivity
reactions to immunotherapy can be life-threatening;
bronchospasm usually develops within 1 hour and
anaphylaxis within 30 minutes of injection. Therefore,
cardiopulmonary resuscitation must be immediately
available and patients need to be monitored for at least
1 hour after injection. If symptoms or signs of
hypersensitivity develop (e.g. rash, urticaria,
bronchospasm, faintness), even when mild, the patient
should be observed until these have resolved completely.
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Should be avoided in pregnant women—
consult product literature.
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The first dose of grass pollen
extract (Grazax ®) should be taken under medical
supervision and the patient should be monitored for
20–30 minutes.
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