Drug Information for Nonstandardized Allergenic Products (ALK-Abello, Inc.): CONTRAINDICATIONS

A patient should not be immunized with preparations of allergens to which the patient has not demonstrated symptoms, IgE antibodies, positive skin tests, or properly controlled challenge testing. In most cases, immunotherapy is not indicated for those allergens that can be eliminated or minimized by environmental control.

Patients on beta-blockers are not candidates for immunotherapy, as they can be non-responsive to beta-agonists that may be required to reverse a systemic reaction (also see WARNINGS AND ADVERSE REACTIONS).

In the presence of active symptoms such as rhinitis, wheezing, dyspnea, etc., the indication of immunotherapy must be weighed carefully against the risk of temporarily aggravating the symptoms by the injection itself.

Also, there is some evidence, although inconclusive, that routine immunizations may exacerbate autoimmune diseases.^{3, 4, 5} Hyposensitization should be given cautiously to patients with this predisposition. Patients with severe cardiorespiratory symptoms are at an additional risk during a systemic reaction. The physician must weigh risk to benefit in these cases.