Perspectives in allergen immunotherapy: 2019 and beyond.

Area of Science:

• Allergy and Immunology
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• The 2019 Future of Allergists and Specific Immunotherapy (FASIT) workshop convened global experts.
• Discussions focused on current developments in allergen immunotherapy (AIT).

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize key panel discussions from the FASIT workshop.
• To identify unmet needs and propose solutions in AIT research and development.

Main Methods:

• Review of current developments in allergen immunotherapy (AIT).
• Expert panel discussions covering biomarkers, AIT for asthma, clinical trial design, and regulatory aspects.
• Analysis of GINA and EAACI Asthma Guidelines updates relevant to AIT.

Main Results:

• Key domains included biomarkers for AIT, AIT in asthma, regulatory prerequisites, and trial design optimization.
• Progress and data for house dust mite SCIT, SLIT tablets, and SLIT drops were discussed.
• Challenges in phase III studies and the role of Allergen Exposure Chambers (AEC) were evaluated.

Conclusions:

• The workshop highlighted critical areas for AIT advancement, including biomarker discovery and optimized clinical trial strategies.
• Addressing unmet needs in AIT requires collaborative efforts between academia, clinics, regulatory bodies, and industry.
• Future AIT development will benefit from refined regulatory pathways and innovative research methodologies.