Research Update

Allergy Therapeutics PLC
23 January 2007

23 January 2007


                            Allergy Therapeutics plc
                   ("Allergy Therapeutics" or "the Company")


                Commencement of Pollinex(R) Quattro Grass Dosing


                    First ever global allergy vaccine trial


Allergy Therapeutics plc (AIM: AGY), the specialist pharmaceutical company
focused on allergy vaccination, announces that it has dosed the first patient in
its pivotal Phase III grass allergy trial.  This international trial will be
undertaken at approximately 96 centres in 4 countries and will involve enrolment
of over 1000 patients.  The majority of patients will be recruited in the United
States.


Pollinex Quattro is an ultra-short course vaccine requiring only four shots over
three weeks and incorporates the TLR4 agonist adjuvant MPL(R). In contrast,
existing vaccine treatments typically require between 16 and 50 injections taken
under specialist supervision prior to the start of the hayfever season. Pollinex
Quattro therefore has the potential to transform allergy treatment by providing
a safe, effective and highly convenient method of vaccination. The Company has
three programmes of Pollinex Quattro allergy vaccines in clinical development:
Grass, Tree and Ragweed.


The primary objective of this double blind, randomised trial is to compare the
efficacy of Pollinex Quattro Grass versus placebo.


The trial design and endpoints have been approved by regulatory bodies including
the Food and Drug Administration in the United States.  This single trial, if
successful, is suitable for registration in both the United States and Europe,
with a Biologics License Application ("BLA") planned for the first half of 2008.


A similar Phase III trial is planned for Allergy Therapeutics' Pollinex Quattro
Ragweed allergy vaccine in the 2007 ragweed pollen season.


Evidence of the safety and efficacy of Pollinex Quattro has been established
through earlier clinical trials in Europe.  Furthermore, substantial exposure
data in more than 87,000 patients is available from the named patient programme
in Europe.


The market opportunity is considerable with the American Academy of Allergy,
Asthma and Immunology estimating that 33 million allergy injections a year are
given in the United States.  Allergic rhinitis (hay fever) is a large and
growing problem.  Prevalence estimates vary on a country by country basis but
range from 14-29% of the total population*.  Worldwide over 150m people are
estimated to suffer from allergic rhinitis and the prevalence is increasing*.
There is a substantial unmet medical need in a market currently worth an
estimated US$12 billion per annum.


* Decision Resources Allergic Rhinitis June 2005


Keith Carter, Chief Executive of Allergy Therapeutics, said:


"Today's announcement represents another step towards Allergy Therapeutics' aim
of developing patient friendly, highly-effective treatments for hay fever
sufferers worldwide. It is a significant trial, involving a large number of
patients and, as the pollen season window is relatively short, we are already
actively recruiting patients to participate in the study.


"This is the first registration trial for an allergy vaccine ever undertaken in
the United States, which is a significant achievement for a company of our size.
Achieving this milestone underlines the quality of our earlier work and the
substantial safety data which underpins the entire Pollinex Quattro pipeline."


Dr Lawrence DuBuske, Consultant in Allergy at Brigham and Women's Hospital of
Harvard Medical School, said:


"We are very excited to be a participating site in what we hope to be a landmark
trial by Allergy Therapeutics.  The trial could potentially demonstrate that
Toll Like Receptor activation together with modified allergen administration can
provide both rapid and safe symptom relief for patients with seasonal grass
allergy. This large trial harnesses recent advances in our understanding of the
mechanisms of modulation of immune responses and its success could provide the
basis for the first new allergen-specific therapy for allergic rhinitis in the
United States.



"The requirement for only four pre-seasonal injections to achieve benefit from
this treatment could lead to a substantial increase in the number of allergy
sufferers who will consider allergen specific immunotherapy as a desirable
treatment option."


For further information


Allergy Therapeutics                                        [phone]
Keith Carter, Chief Executive

Financial Dynamics                                          [phone]
David Yates
Ben Brewerton


About Pollinex Quattro


There are three programmes of subcutaneous immunotherapy in clinical
development; Pollinex Quattro Grass, Pollinex Quattro Ragweed & Pollinex Quattro
Tree, all of which are based on proprietary technologies. Collectively these
form the "Caution: Allergen" programme. Pollinex Quattro Ragweed is currently
under review by Health Canada.  In addition, an oral vaccine development is
completing its first phase II study.



Pollinex Quattro vaccines contain three distinct technologies which act
synergistically. Natural allergens are chemically modified to improve safety and
allow for delivery of higher doses. These are combined with a depot technology
to provide prolonged desensitization and further improved tolerability. Finally,
the immune response is specifically enhanced and directed by an adjuvant,
monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL). MPL is a Toll-Like 4 Receptor (TLR4) agonist and
has been extensively tested in Pollinex Quattro and other late stage and
registered vaccines including GlaxoSmithKline's Fendrix(R) and Cervarix(R)


About Allergy Therapeutics plc


Allergy Therapeutics plc is a UK AIM-listed specialty pharmaceutical company
focused on allergy vaccination. It has a profitable core business achieving
sales of allergy vaccines of over £24m in Germany, Italy, Spain and other EU
markets through its own sales and marketing infrastructure.


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange