Allergen Immunotherapy Demonstrates Cost Savings among Children with Allergic Rhinitis - Significant Savings Seen within Three Months

In a recent study, authors examined Florida Medicaid data to compare health services use and costs between nearly 3,000 children newly diagnosed with allergic rhinitis (AR) who received allergen immunotherapy (IT) to a matched group of approximately 11,000 children with AR who did not receive IT. At 18 months, children with AR who received IT had one third lower total median health care costs than children with AR who did not receive IT, $3,247 versus $4,872. Outpatient costs were 58% lower and pharmacy costs were 16% lower for children who received versus did not receive IT. These significant health care savings were evident as early as 3 months following IT initiation, and increased throughout the study period. "This is great news, not only for families who will experience fewer out-of-pocket expenses for allergy medications, but also for the ever increasing national health care crisis " . . read more.