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Allergen immunotherapy: exploring areas for further inquiry
Author(s) -
Ramsey Tam,
Lai Wanda,
Svider Peter F.,
Hojjat Houmehr,
Eloy Jean Anderson,
Folbe Adam J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
international forum of allergy and rhinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.503
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 2042-6984
pISSN - 2042-6976
DOI - 10.1002/alr.22016
Subject(s) - medicine , allergen , allergen immunotherapy , immunotherapy , immunology , allergy , immune system
Background Allergy‐related illness impacts millions of individuals worldwide. Our objectives were to characterize current trends of clinical trials research relating to allergen immunotherapy and to describe the landscape of allergen immunotherapy in National Institutes of Health (NIH)‐supported research inquiry. Methods On ClinicalTrials.gov, the following terms were searched: allergen immunotherapy OR allergy immunotherapy. Variables, including completion status, dates, design, study population, funder, location, and allergen were recorded. The NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORTER) system was also used to gather relevant variables. Results A total of 372 clinical trials met inclusion criteria. The proportion of industry‐funded clinical trials has declined over 15 years. There has been a slow decline in pollen allergy immunotherapy research, with an increase in both food and animal allergy immunotherapy research. Otolaryngologists comprised only 6.4% of clinical trials principal investigators (PIs). There was a total adjusted NIH funding of $74,986,125 for the 118 total funding years. Conclusion Despite an immense interest in allergen immunotherapy, this analysis demonstrates that otolaryngologists represented a small proportion of PIs leading associated clinical trials and basic science inquiry. The proportion of trials with industry sponsorship has declined considerably in recent decades. These trends could help direct future resource allocation for allergen immunotherapy.