ALK are a specialist allergy immunotherapy pharmaceutical company with more than 100 years’ experience in the industry. The company’s consumer division – Klarify – now provides an allergy screening kit, which tests for 294 allergens specific to IgE, including pets, pollen, foods, beverages, mites and insect bites.
When the test kit was launched a year ago, pharmacies were able to sell the product OTC or via their websites, enabling the consumer to complete a test kit at home and have the results back within two weeks with full information as to relevant allergens. In January of this year, however, the test kits became available to a wider cohort via PharmaDoctor. The Allergy Test & Treat pharmacy service enables a pharmacist to support patients with an initial consultation prior to taking the test and an e-tool for the second consultation when the results become available. This service provides the pharmacist with the potential to treat a patient with seven PGDs and 17 POM treatments, should they be required.
This service has accelerated patients’ ability to determine allergens. At present, patients in England, Wales and Scotland would be waiting for more than a year between GP referral and hospital consultation, while patients in Northern Ireland would be waiting more than five years!
The Allergy Test & Treat pharmacy service: great results for all concerned!