Every spring, birch pollen allergy turns the lives of millions of people into constant sneezing, itching, watery eyes, and swelling. Treating the ailment often required up to 30 injections and took a long time. However, RAS President Gennady Krasnikov stated that a new Russian vaccine could reduce the course to just three to five injections.
Speaking at the general meeting of RAS members, Krasnikov reported that the drug is intended for the prevention and treatment of birch pollen allergy, as well as cross-food allergies – for example, when a person develops an allergy to certain foods along with a reaction to pollen.
According to the head of the Academy of Sciences, the new vaccine works precisely, unlike old allergy vaccines. The drug helps the body develop a protective reaction against allergies, but at the same time affects other immune mechanisms less, which can cause side reactions.
The vaccine was created at the Institute of Immunology of the FMBA of Russia. It is expected that the drug will be available to patients in 2027. It was made not just from a natural allergen extract, like many classic drugs, but based on a specially created molecular structure.
Before developing the vaccine, specialists studied the main birch pollen allergen and identified the areas responsible for the immune response. These were included in the drug.