Is 2-Year Treatment Sufficient for Long-term Benefit?

Linda S. Cox, MD

Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is a desensitizing and potentially curative therapy that has been used since 1911 to treat allergic rhinitis and asthma.1 Immunotherapy involves repeated administration of the identified allergen(s) over time with the goal of inducing sustained allergen-specific tolerance. The proportion of patients treated with AIT who achieve sustained allergen-specific tolerance varies from 0% to 55%, depending on factors including type of allergen, treatment duration, and the definition of relapse.

JAMA