Cost saving benefits of Immunotherapy

January 12, 2010 — Use of immunotherapy in children with allergic rhinitis (AR) decreases their healthcare costs by one third and prescription costs were reduced by 16%, according to a study published in the January issue of the Annals of Allergy & Asthma Immunology.

"In addition to its long-term sustained efficacy, immunotherapy is the only treatment proved to alter the course of allergic disease as demonstrated by its association with significant reductions in the likelihood that children with AR will develop asthma and new sensitizations to aeroallergens," write Cheryl Hankin, PhD, from BioMedEcon LLC, Moss Beach, California, and colleagues. "Given these important benefits, immunotherapy is likely to be a cost-effective option for the management of AR."