Massachusetts Allergy and Asthma Society

Allergy shots are associated with decreased costs of treating allergic rhinitis.

The use of specific-allergen immunotherapy in the treatment of allergic rhinitis was associated with significant cost savings for the Florida Medicaid program. Overall savings during the first 18 months of allergen immunotherapy treatment were $5,921 in the pediatric Medicaid population and $7,286 for adults. On a percentage basis, specific-allergen immunotherapy produced a remarkable 41% and 52% savings in adults and children, respectively. Prior controlled clinical studies have demonstrated that specific-allergen immunotherapy prevents the progression of IgE-mediated diseases, and here we reveal that allergen immunotherapy also reduces dramatically the overall costs of caring for allergic rhinitis patient populations. In patient populations with allergic rhinitis, therefore, specific-allergen immunotherapy is associated with both better outcomes and significantly reduced overall costs.