LENOIR, N.C., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Greer, a leading developer and provider of allergy immunotherapy products and treatments, will support the world’s first annual global summit on sublingual immunotherapy February 3-5 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami, through an unrestricted educational grant. Jointly sponsored by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and The SRxA Institute for Professional Education, the Summit is part of an ongoing educational program that will serve as a clinical exchange forum for leading internationally recognized allergy experts from the United States and Europe.
Sublingual immunotherapy is administered under the tongue and is an emerging alternative to traditional allergy injections. While widely used in Europe, sublingual immunotherapy products have not yet been approved in the United States. Greer recently completed Safety & Dosing trials for dust mite, short ragweed, Timothy grass and cat hair extracts and is set to begin Phase II clinical trials in early 2006.
“There is a great amount of interest in bringing sublingual immunotherapy to the United States,” says Linda Cox, MD, an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Nova University Osteopathic School of Medicine in Fort Lauderdale, FL., and a member of a joint task force of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology’s Immunotherapy and Allergy Diagnostics Committee. “Sublingual immunotherapy has been proven safe and effective in Europe. However, there are still questions regarding safety in high-risk groups, effective dosing and treatment schedules. Greer’s clinical research and educational summits such as this will help answer many of those questions,” Dr. Cox commented.
“We are encouraged by the amount of attention sublingual immunotherapy is receiving from the medical community,” says Bob Esch, PhD, Executive Vice President of Research and Development. “Greer is excited to be leading the effort to bring sublingual immunotherapy to the United States and we feel it is our duty to help educate physicians and patients.”
Presentations at the Summit will include information on the latest European experience, efficacy and mechanisms of sublingual immunotherapy, and the future opportunities of this therapy in the United States. Many of the world’s leading experts on allergy and immunology, as well as sublingual immunotherapy, will be in attendance. The distinguished list of faculty includes: Spencer Atwater, MD James Hadley, MD, FACS Bradley Chipps, MD, FAAP Michael Kaliner, MD Linda Cox, MD Allan Luskin, MD Peter Creticos, MD John Oppenheimer, MD Stephen Durham, MD Giovanni Passalacqua, MD Ira Finegold, MD Sheldon Spector, MD Anthony Frew, MD William Storms, MD
The SRxA Institute for Professional Education and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health plan to develop the proceedings of this event into educational materials for future distribution.
About Greer: Greer is a leading developer and provider of allergy immunotherapy products and services for treating humans and animals. Greer’s highly skilled scientists provide technical support for customers by continuing to focus on improving the lives of allergic patients. The company was founded in 1904 and is located in Lenoir, North Carolina. To learn more about Greer visit us at http://www.greerlabs.com .
Greer
CONTACT: Andrea Moody for Greer, +1-919-457-0743, moodya@fleishman.com
Web site: http://www.greerlabs.com/
