ALLERGEN EXTRACTS - STANDARDIZATION OF PREPARATIONS FOR BRONCHIAL PROVOCATION TESTS - A POSITION PAPER

Standardization of allergen provocation tests of the airways requires standardization of each of the steps involved, including standardizati on of the extracts used. The value of international standards is empha sized and so is the determination of a clinically relevant potency. Th e allergen extracts used for bronchial provocation tests must be compa red with qualitatively and quantitatively clinically relevant standard s using complementary immunochemical and biological methods. Ideally t he same extracts should be used for diagnosis (skin test, specific IgE determinations, provocations) and treatment (immunotherapy). The impo rtance of the biological compared with the non-biological methods is t hat the biological methods are established in allergenic patients in o rder to select a clinically relevant potency of the allergen in questi on, and this potency ought to be confirmed in clinical trials. Once es tablished the biological potency of an in-house preparation can be rep roduced by supplementary in vitro methods. Very few commercial allerge n preparations are available which fulfil the above-mentioned criteria .