The bad news about SLIT is:
1) In many of the SLIT studies, single allergens are used (for example, just grass or dust mite). Many allergy sufferers in the U.S. have multiple allergy triggers. SCIT (allergy shot) targets several allergens at the same time.

2) There are no established guidelines for potency, quantity or quality of extracts used for SLIT. The published clinical studies vary widely in how much oral extract is used.

3) There are also no guidelines on how often or how long one should get SLIT.

4) The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has not yet approved SLIT for use in the U.S.

5) There are few well controlled studies comparing SLIT to SCIT. SCIT edged out SLIT in most of the studies which compared their effectiveness.

Many publications about sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) have been cited in recent years. Sublingual immunotherapy is widely used in Europe as a form of desensitization. Desensitization is a method of making a person less sensitive to allergy triggers (for example pollen, dust mites, cat, dog).


What will the future bring for immunotherapy?
SLIT will likely be approved by the FDA for single allergen therapy. More extensive research will lead to the development of guidelines for dosing and other important management issues. SLIT will not likely replace SCIT any time soon. On the other hand , SLIT may offer an alternative to patients that are young, fearful of needles, have a single allergen trigger or have other issues that make SCIT less desirable.

Are We There Yet?  

The Answers:

No for Oral Immunotherapy (OIT), we are not even close.
No for SLIT also, but we appear to be close.

Do you have any other thoughts on Sublingual immunotherapy?

What is your experience with desensitization?