ALLERCEPT® Shots
Subcutaneous Allergy Therapy
The safest long term allergy treatment solution for canine, feline or equine patients.
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Industry Leading Sensitivity
Highly accurate testing detects as little as 10 picograms of allergen-specific IgE, on universal panel of 83 allergens.
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Safe, Long-Term Treatment
None of the side effects and complications commonly associated with continuous, long-term corticosteroid treatment.
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Two Effective Treatment Solutions
Along with ALLERCEPT Therapy Drops, Therapy Shots move immunotherapy from a last resort to the first choice for treating allergies.
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Patient Specific Recommendations
Regionalized immunotherapy recommendations with total case management consultation.
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Fast Results From Simple Blood Draw
Easy-to-Read results summary within 48 hours of receiving sample.
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Free Case Consultation
Heska's Medical and Technical Consultation Group supports you through the life of your case.
From a last resort to the first choice for treating allergies.
Individualized Test Results
Get results in 2 business days from Heska's Veterinary Diagnostic Lab.
Effective Relief
ALLERCEPT Subcutaneous Immunotherapy is successful in ~70% of patients.
Precise Immunotherapy
Precise testing virtually eliminates exposure to (and expense of) unnecessary allergens.
Highest Standards in Quality Control Protocols
Two fully functioning QC laboratories ensure all manufactured products comply with requirements.
World Class Support
From easy-to-read and interpret test results to free consultations, Heska's staff of professionals is here to help.
Responsive Treatment
Average positive response within 3-6 months.
Technical Details & Downloads
ALLERCEPT® Immunotherapy Treatments
Formulations are based on ALLERCEPT test results, the clinical history of the allergic animal, and geographical region. While every animal responds differently , most animals respond positively with relief in 3-6 months. Read about Bernie’s Case. Effective immunotherapy can be sustained safely throughout the life of the animal.
Along with ALLERCEPT Therapy Drops, Therapy Shots move immunotherapy from a last resort to the first choice for treating allergies.
Pioneering Veterinary Solutions
ALLERCEPT® test results provide the foundation for appropriate selection of allergens for specific allergy treatment. While steroid drugs are often used for short-term relief from the clinical signs of allergy, prolonged use of steroids can have serious side effects. Antihistamines, fatty acids, and shampoos can help, but typically provide only temporary and limited benefit. Immunotherapy is, by far, the safest, most effective treatment for pets with allergies.
ALLERCEPT immunotherapy subcutaneous treatments are formulated based on ALLERCEPT test results, the clinical history of the allergic animal, and geographical region. Most animals respond positively with relief in 3 to 6 months.
Using Heska’s ALLERCEPT® allergen-specific IgE test to identify the important allergens, selection of allergens for sublingual treatment is performed in exactly the same manner as ALLERCEPT subcutaneous injections.
A series of specially-formulated treatment extracts in gradually increasing strengths, ALLERCEPT Therapy Drops are a palatable solution delivered in tiny amounts (2 pumps twice per day) under the pet’s tongue and can be used in dogs that have had prior anaphylactic reaction to allergy shots. Sublingual therapy is successful in ~70% of patients.
Regulated Product Manufacturing Excellence
Diamond Animal Health, Inc., (DAH) a wholly owned subsidiary of Heska Corporation, manufactures animal healthcare products based upon the timeless principles of quality and good manufacturing practices. DAH is a leader in contract manufacturing of USDA-regulated and licensed biologicals and an expert in the manufacture of FDA-approved pharmaceutical products for both large and small animals.
Highest Standards in Quality Control Protocols
- DAH has two fully-functioning Quality Control Laboratories ensuring all manufactured products comply with all applicable safety, purity and potency requirements.
- DAH has a fully-integrated Quality Assurance team that provides continuous monitoring of manufacturing and testing processes as well as provides calibration and validation functions. This ensures a consistent and quality product at all times.
- DAH has an extensive raw material qualification process as well as a continuous raw material monitoring and testing program that also ensures consistent and quality product throughout the manufacturing process.
- DAH has a fully-integrated Regulatory Affairs team that ensures compliance with all applicable regulations, USDA or FDA, during the development, manufacture and testing of all products. ALLERCEPT® Therapy Drops Production
- Immunotherapy is manufactured in a clean room environment with the added protection of extensive sterile gowning and containment hoods to ensure the highest quality product.
- Each patient therapy manufacturing record is triple checked by the Quality Assurance team, providing additional assurance that your patient is receiving the exact product you ordered.
- The immunotherapy manufacturing process utilizes personnel that are educated and extensively trained to perform their duties.
- The product is manufactured to ensure complete lot traceability for each treatment set.
The Gold Standard in Allergy Technology
Heska is a world leader in innovative solutions for veterinary allergic disease holding many patents covering its allergy products. Heska’s unique, patented ALLERCEPT® program technology can detect as little as 10 picograms (trillionths of a gram) of allergen-specific IgE and can be used alone or in conjunction with conventional intradermal skin testing to accurately identify the source or sources of an allergic reaction. Unlike many other serum IgE tests that can mis-identify allergy sensitization based on the false-positive detection of allergen-specific IgG, Heska’s use of the high-affinity IgE receptor assures that false positives resulting from IgG detection do not occur.
Heska has patent rights for use of the high-affinity IgE receptor to measure allergen-specific IgE in the serum of both animals and humans. Heska’s ALLERCEPT Panels are validated for dogs, cats and horses. The simplicity of ALLERCEPT tests and treatment enables veterinarians in general practice to develop a core allergy practice, ensuring that many more allergic pets can be treated or referred to dermatology specialists.
ALLERCEPT Therapy Shots
Allergen-specific immunotherapy, or ASIT, modulates the immune response. It is a treatment modality whose success depends on accurate determination of the patient’s specific sensitivities, by either intradermal or serum IgE testing.
The mechanisms of allergen-specific immunotherapy are not completely understood, but it is clear that several different cells and processes in the immune system are affected. Dendritic cells, also called antigen-presenting cells, are cells throughout the skin, gut, and mucosal surfaces whose function is to grab onto allergen molecules. They then travel to a local lymph node, and “instruct” the immune system how to further respond. ASIT causes dendritic cells to induce production of molecules and cells such as regulatory T-lymphocytes, which further downregulate the immune response. Immunotherapy works to restore immune response back to normal Th1 (IgG) from the misdirected Th2 (IgE). It is a downregulation of IgE / upregulation of IgG.
Extracts of the identified allergens are mixed together and administered to the patient by subcutaneous injection, starting with very tiny doses and gradually building up to very large doses. This treatment was formerly called “desensitization” or “hyposensitization” and is often referred to in lay terms as “allergy shots.”
ALLERCEPT Therapy Drops
Allergy shots are an ineffective treatment for some patients, due to lack of efficacy, difficulty in administration, or adverse reactions. Sublingual immunotherapy is an effective treatment for many patients who fail to respond to allergy shots.
The immune privilege of oral mucosa. Trends in Molecular MedicineIn addition to offering immunotherapy injections to relieve the painful conditions of atopic dermatitis, Heska is the first to introduce a proprietary sublingual immunotherapy. Administered beneath the tongue, ALLERCEPT® Therapy Drops provide a simple way to provide effective relief.
Sublingual Mechanism
Sublingual immunotherapy allows specific antigens placed under the tongue to induce immunologic tolerance. Multiple mechanisms are involved and include the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10 and the induction of regulatory T-cells.
The mucosal area under the tongue is a privileged immunological site with unique characteristics. It consists of:
A physical barrier (mucosa)
Local immune cells
— High concentration of dendritic cells and T-cells
— Low concentration of mast cells, basophils and eosinophils
This allows for:
Differentiation of pathogens from harmless antigens
Muting of immediate and delayed allergic responses
Tolerance of mucosally-delivered allergens
Safety and Efficacy
Allergy drops have been used around the world in humans for more than 70 years and numerous studies validate both the safety and effectiveness. In fact, the World Allergy Organization has endorsed sublingual immunotherapy as a viable alternative to injection therapy in humans. The Cochrane Collaboration, the world’s most-trusted international organization dedicated to reviewing healthcare treatments, recently concluded allergy drop immunotherapy significantly reduced allergy symptoms and use of allergy medications. See RESEARCH section for more information.
Heska’s proprietary technology for sublingual administration was developed as a veterinary-specific variation based on a unique, time-tested and highly efficacious human protocol. In efficacy trials with hundreds of atopic dogs treated by veterinary dermatologists in varying geographic areas of the U.S. over the past 3 years, approximately 60% of dogs demonstrated substantial improvement in their clinical signs. Approximately 50% of dogs that showed no improvement or could not tolerate allergy shots, showed improvement when treated with allergy drops.
ALLERCEPT Therapy Drops can even be used safely in dogs that have experienced a prior anaphylactic reaction to allergy shots. If the patient has a history of prior anaphylactic reaction to allergy shots, please contact Heska’s Medical & Technical Consultants at 1-800-464-3752, option 5.
Heska Support Teams are Here for You
We’re Available When You Need Us
Rest assured that when you need help, have questions, or have difficulties, we have you covered.
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