The usual course is two to three years. If the injections do not work during the first 6 - 12 months, they are discontinued. On the Horizon There are new shots which will become available within a few years for cats and ragweed allergies. The new shots work in a similar way as the old shots. However, the new shots will act more like a vaccine utilizing peptide fragments or pieces of proteins of the allergen to turn off the allergic response.
Studies are currently underway for the allergy vaccine.
However, these will not be available for 5 to 10 years. Another advanced approach is on developing monoclonal antibodies against immunoglobulin E. IgE is an antibody which causes mast cells to release antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are artificially produced antibodies. This cloning process enables antibodies to be tailor-made so that they will react with a particular antigen. Blocking the IgE reaction might stop the allergic response before it happens.