Is There An Allergy Shot For Humans? Yes — Here's Everything
Yes — there is an allergy shot for humans called subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT); Cytopoint and Apoquel are veterinary products for dogs, not human treatments. Cochrane meta-analysis (Calderón 2007, 51 RCTs, 2,871 patients) showed SMD −0.73 for symptom scores and SMD −0.57 for medication use. Durham 1999 NEJM demonstrated that 3 years of SCIT produced sustained remission lasting at least 4 more years after stopping. Standard course: ~26-week weekly build-up then maintenance every 2–4 weeks for 3–5 years; in the traditional clinic model Year 1 requires approximately 39 in-clinic visits. For eligible maintenance patients, Curex now delivers that same SCIT as one weekly self-administered shot at home for $129/month — a personalized serum sterile-compounded to USP <797> standards, with the first dose and every dose change supervised live over Zoom and a prescribed epinephrine auto-injector confirmed on hand.
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Yes, there is an allergy shot for humans — subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) for allergic rhinitis, asthma, and venom anaphylaxis — administered by allergists under the AAAAI/ACAAI Cox 2011 Practice Parameter.
The essentials
Yes — there is an allergy shot for humans. It's called subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT), administered by an allergist under the AAAAI/ACAAI/JCAAI Practice Parameter (Cox 2011). It is NOT a veterinary product. Cytopoint (Zoetis lokivetmab, anti-IL-31 monoclonal antibody for dogs) and Apoquel (Zoetis oclacitinib, JAK inhibitor for dogs) are products for pets — they do not treat human allergies. Veterinary allergen-specific immunotherapy is injected into the pet, not the human. This page covers human immunotherapy only.
SCIT introduces small, gradually increasing doses of allergen extract under the skin to shift the immune system from an allergic IgE-mediated response toward tolerance. The mechanism involves IgE → IgG4 class switching and induction of allergen-specific T-regulatory cells — changes that persist for years after treatment ends.
Indications for the human allergy shot include: allergic rhinitis (hay fever and perennial nasal allergy), allergic asthma, Hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis (bee, wasp, yellow jacket stings), and allergic conjunctivitis. SCIT is NOT indicated for food allergy (Palforzia, the only FDA-approved peanut OIT, discontinues commercially July 31, 2026), atopic dermatitis alone, or chronic urticaria.
Curex offers at-home IgE component testing with board-certified allergist review — including cat (Fel d 1) and dog (Can f 1 / Can f 5) component panels — to identify the specific human IgE sensitization that immunotherapy should target before committing to a 3-to-5-year course.
How allergy shots retrain your immune system
Weekly subcutaneous injections of allergen extract at incrementally increasing doses, starting at a very low concentration and escalating to the maintenance dose — approximately 1,000–4,000 BAU for standardized cat extract, or equivalent PNU/w-v dosing for other allergens — administered in the allergist office with 20–30 minutes of post-injection monitoring.
Once the maintenance dose is reached, injections continue every 2–4 weeks for a total treatment duration of 3–5 years. Year 1 totals approximately 39 in-clinic visits (build-up + early maintenance). Years 2–5 require approximately 14–20 visits per year.
Repeated controlled allergen exposure shifts the immune response from IgE-mediated (allergic) toward IgG4-mediated (blocking antibody) and induces allergen-specific T-regulatory cells that suppress mast cell and basophil activation. This tolerance is durable — Durham SR et al. (NEJM 1999;341:468–475) showed 3 years of SCIT produced remission lasting at least 4 additional years after stopping.
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Treatment timeline — phase by phase
Weekly build-up injections. Accelerated protocols (cluster or rush) can compress this to 4–8 weeks but require stricter monitoring.
Transition to every 2–4 week maintenance injections. Total Year 1 visits: approximately 39 under the Cox 2011 Practice Parameter.
Continued maintenance at every 2–4 weeks. Years 2–5 require approximately 14–20 in-clinic visits per year. Total course: 3–5 years.
Durability: 3-year SCIT course can produce ≥4-year sustained remission after stopping (Durham 1999 NEJM). PAT study (Jacobsen 2007 Allergy) showed 10-year SCIT follow-up in children reduced new-onset asthma by approximately OR 2.5.
Same proven results. No clinic visits.
Curex's at-home allergy shots deliver the same allergen desensitization as clinic SCIT — for a flat $129/month, with no clinic visits and no facility fees.
See if at-home shots are right for youFrequently asked questions
Is there really an allergy shot for humans, or is that just for pets?
There is genuinely an allergy shot for humans — subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) — and it has been the standard of care for allergic rhinitis and venom anaphylaxis since the 1970s. The confusion arises because veterinary products like Cytopoint (lokivetmab for dogs) and Apoquel (oclacitinib for dogs) dominate consumer search results when people search for "allergy shots." These are dog treatments, not human treatments. Human SCIT is governed by the AAAAI/ACAAI/JCAAI Practice Parameter Third Update (Cox 2011) and has Cochrane-level evidence from 51 RCTs covering 2,871 patients (Calderón 2007, SMD −0.73 for symptoms).
What conditions does the human allergy shot treat?
The human allergy shot (SCIT) is indicated for: allergic rhinitis (seasonal and perennial), allergic asthma, Hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis (bee, wasp, yellow jacket), and allergic conjunctivitis. It is NOT indicated for food allergy (except the now-discontinued Palforzia peanut OIT), atopic dermatitis alone, or chronic urticaria. Cat and dog dander are among the most common aeroallergens treated — cat SCIT has strong FDA-standardized RCT evidence, while dog SCIT has weaker evidence per Smith 2016's systematic review of 17 trials.
How long does the human allergy shot take to work?
Most patients notice meaningful symptom improvement after 6–12 months of SCIT, once they have been on maintenance dose for several months. The full treatment course is 3–5 years for durable long-term benefit. Durham SR et al. (NEJM 1999;341:468–475) demonstrated that 3 years of SCIT produced sustained remission lasting at least 4 additional years after stopping — suggesting the immune reprogramming is durable, not just suppressive. Faster results are possible with accelerated build-up protocols (cluster or rush immunotherapy).
What is the failure rate of human allergy shots?
Approximately 23.9% of patients who start allergen immunotherapy never return for their first maintenance injection, and only 43.9% ultimately reach the maintenance phase per Tkacz JP et al. (Curr Med Res Opin 2021;37[6]:957–965, IBM MarketScan, n=103,207). The primary driver is the visit burden — approximately 39 in-clinic visits in Year 1 alone. Patients who do complete the full 3–5 year course show robust and durable outcomes. The at-home SLIT alternative addresses the visit-burden dropout problem directly.
Can I get a human allergy shot at home?
Yes — the allergy shot itself can now be done at home. For eligible maintenance patients, Curex delivers SCIT as one weekly self-administered shot at home for $129/month: a personalized serum sterile-compounded to USP <797> standards, with the first dose and every dose change supervised live over Zoom and a prescribed epinephrine auto-injector confirmed on hand, removing the ~39 Year-1 clinic-visit burden of the conventional model. Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is a separate at-home route — FDA-approved SLIT tablets exist for grass pollen (Oralair, Grastek), ragweed (Ragwitek), and dust mite (Odactra), and off-label SLIT drops can be prescribed for cat, dog, and other allergens; the 2007 Allergy DBPC trial (Alvarez-Cuesta E et al.) showed cat SLIT drops produced 59% symptom-score reduction vs placebo.
What is the difference between the human allergy shot and Cytopoint?
They are completely different products for completely different purposes. The human allergy shot (SCIT) is subcutaneous immunotherapy for HUMANS with allergic rhinitis, asthma, or venom anaphylaxis — it works by desensitizing the immune system over 3–5 years. Cytopoint (Zoetis lokivetmab) is an anti-IL-31 monoclonal antibody given by injection to DOGS every 4–8 weeks to reduce itch from canine atopic dermatitis. Cytopoint is not approved for humans, does not address human IgE sensitization, and is a veterinary pharmaceutical, not an allergen immunotherapy product.
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Read moreGet your allergy shots — without the clinic.
Curex's flat $129/month covers end-to-end at-home immunotherapy — a personalized serum compounded to USP <797> sterile standards, board-certified allergist oversight, and one weekly injection you give yourself at home. No clinic visits, no facility fees. HSA/FSA eligible.
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This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider with questions about a medical condition. Content reviewed by board-certified allergists at Curex.