From the 2011 Annual meeting of the Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology(AAAAI):

Immunotherapy may hold the edge for treating children’s food allergies but it isn’t ready for prime time yet, as presented at the recent AAAAI meeting. In oral immunotherapy, small doses of the allergy-causing food progressively raised to boost immune tolerance can take the form of either a liquid held under the tongue and then swallowed — sublingual immunotherapy — or solid forms taken orally.

The oral form is furthest along in clinical studies and also appears more promising for efficacy, leading allergist A. Wesley Burks, MD, of Duke University Medical Center explained to MedPage Today Senior Staff Writer Crystal Phend. His group presented results from the first head-to-head comparison of the two forms of immunotherapy, which suggested oral immunotherapy desensitizes children’s milk allergies better than sublingual immunotherapy. But both forms remain experimental for food allergies, Burks said.

The risk of serious reactions when giving children doses of the foods they are allergic to means that these treatments need to be carried out only under careful medical supervision, Burks said. Further study is also needed before widespread use in clinical practice, he warned.

Dr. Kenneth Backman of Allergy & Asthma care points out that immunotherapy to foods is still investigational and requires additional study. “While some studies have been promising, all studies have been small. Much larger studies need to be performed to confirm safety and efficacy before this treatment should be offered outside controlled clinical trials at academic centers. There may be significant risks of side effects, including dangerous allergic reactions and possible new-onset allergic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as eosinophilic esophagitis”.