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NICE guidance - Pharmalgen for the treatment of bee and wasp venom allergy

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Pharmalgen is recommended as an option for the treatment of IgE-mediated bee and wasp venom allergy in people who have had:

  • a severe systemic reaction to bee or wasp venom, or a moderate systemic reaction to bee or wasp venom and who have one or more of the following:
    • a raised baseline serum tryptase,
    • a high risk of future stings or anxiety about future stings.

Treatment with Pharmalgen should be initiated and monitored in a specialist centre experienced in venom immunotherapy

Notes:

  • pharmalgen bee venom extract has a marketing authorisation for the treatment of IgE-mediated allergy to bee venom
  • pharmalgen wasp venom extract has a marketing authorisation for the treatment of IgEmediated allergy to wasp venom
  • treatment with Pharmalgen is in two phases: an initial phase and a maintenance phase
    • before people receive Pharmalgen treatment, IgEmediated allergy to bee or wasp venom must be confirmed by case history and by in vivo and/or in vitro diagnosis. Pharmalgen is given by subcutaneous injection
    • during the initial phase, an increasing dose of Pharmalgen is given until the maximum tolerated dose is reached
    • during the maintenance phase, Pharmalgen is administered at a dose of 100 micrograms every 4-6 weeks for at least 3 years
      • dosage may be adjusted depending on the person's history of allergic reactions and sensitivity to the specific allergen used

Reference:


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