Is There an Allergy Shot? Yes — Subcutaneous Immunotherapy
Yes — the clinical term is subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT), an FDA-recognized treatment in continuous US use since 1911 (Noon, Lancet). The Cochrane meta-analysis (Calderón 2007, 51 RCTs, 2,871 patients) documents symptom SMD −0.73 versus placebo. SCIT exists for environmental allergens and Hymenoptera venom (>95% protection). SCIT does NOT exist as approved monotherapy for food allergy. A 3–5 year course is required for disease modification.
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Yes — allergy shots (subcutaneous immunotherapy / SCIT) exist. They have been used in the US since 1911 and are supported by Cochrane meta-analyses (symptom SMD −0.73, 51 RCTs). They treat environmental allergens and venom, not food allergy.
The essentials
Yes — an allergy shot exists, and it has been in continuous clinical use in the United States since 1911, when Leonard Noon published the first report of systematic allergen injection in The Lancet using grass pollen extract. The clinical term is subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT). The operative US guideline is the AAAAI/ACAAI/JCAAI Practice Parameter Third Update (Cox L et al., JACI 2011;127[1 Suppl]:S1–S55, DOI 10.1016/j.jaci.2010.09.034).
Before starting any allergy immunotherapy, Curex at-home IgE testing with allergist review identifies which specific allergen drives a patient's symptoms — necessary because both SCIT and SLIT are allergen-specific therapies that work only when the extract matches the dominant sensitization. For eligible maintenance patients, Curex then 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.
What SCIT is: SCIT involves injecting gradually increasing doses of a patient's specific allergen extract under the skin of the upper outer arm, training the immune system to tolerate the allergen rather than attacking it. The Cochrane meta-analysis (Calderón MA et al., 2007, CD001936, DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD001936.pub2) aggregated 51 double-blind, placebo-controlled RCTs involving 2,871 patients and found symptom SMD −0.73 (95% CI −0.97 to −0.50) and medication SMD −0.57 (95% CI −0.82 to −0.33) versus placebo for seasonal allergic rhinitis. This is a moderate-to-large effect.
Allergens treated with SCIT include: grass pollens (timothy, 5-grass mix), tree pollens (birch, oak, ash, olive), weed pollens (ragweed, mugwort), dust mites (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus / farinae), cat (FDA-standardized cat hair extract, Greer license #308, 10,000 BAU/mL), dog (PNU-based, not FDA-standardized), Alternaria mold, and Hymenoptera venom (honeybee, yellow jacket, wasp, hornets). Hymenoptera venom immunotherapy (VIT) is the most effective form: >95% protection per Golden DBK et al. (JACI 2005;115:439–447) and a 93-percentage-point absolute risk reduction in subsequent sting reactions in Boyle RJ et al. (Cochrane 2012, PMID 23076950). Venom immunotherapy is administered in-office and is not part of Curex's at-home offering, which covers environmental aeroallergens.
What SCIT is NOT: SCIT does not exist as approved monotherapy for food allergy. The peanut oral immunotherapy product Palforzia (Aimmune/Stallergenes) discontinues commercial sales on July 31, 2026. Palforzia is oral, not injected — and its discontinuation ends the only FDA-approved food-allergy immunotherapy product. For food-allergy reaction reduction, Xolair (omalizumab) was FDA-approved February 16, 2024 — but omalizumab is an anti-IgE monoclonal antibody, not classical allergen immunotherapy.
A standard SCIT course requires 3–5 years: approximately 26–28 weekly build-up injections followed by monthly maintenance injections, with a 30-minute in-office observation after every injection in the traditional clinic model. Clinical remission can persist at least 3 years after stopping a completed 3–4 year course (Durham SR et al., NEJM 1999;341:468–475). The PAT study (Jacobsen L et al., Allergy 2007;62:943–948) showed OR 4.6 for remaining asthma-free at 10-year follow-up in children who received 3 years of pediatric SCIT. In real-world US data, 23.9% of starters never return after their first injection and only 43.9% reach maintenance (Tkacz JP et al., Curr Med Res Opin 2021;37:957–965, MarketScan n=103,207) — the visit burden that at-home self-administration is designed to remove.
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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 youTreatment options side by side
For the searcher asking whether a shot exists for allergies, the answer is yes — SCIT is the injected option, and for eligible maintenance patients it can now be self-administered at home through Curex rather than only in a clinic. A sublingual (non-injected) option also exists via SLIT tablets or drops.
| Treatment | Efficacy | Duration | Cost (5yr) | Convenience | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SCIT (allergy shots) — injected | |||||
SLIT drops (sublingual — not injected) |
- Efficacy
- Duration
- Cost (5yr)
- Convenience
- Safety
- Efficacy
- Duration
- Cost (5yr)
- Convenience
- Safety
Curex offers SCIT itself at home — at-home subcutaneous immunotherapy as one weekly self-administered shot at $129/month, a personalized serum sterile-compounded to USP <797> standards and overseen by a board-certified allergist, with the first dose and every dose change supervised live over Zoom and a prescribed epinephrine auto-injector confirmed on hand — delivering the same disease-modifying course as the traditional 3–5 year weekly-clinic injection schedule, without the clinic visits.
See if at-home shots are right for youFrequently asked questions
What is the clinical name for an allergy shot?
The clinical term is subcutaneous immunotherapy, abbreviated SCIT. It may also be referred to as allergen immunotherapy (AIT), allergen injection immunotherapy, or allergen-specific immunotherapy. The WHO position paper (Bousquet J, Lockey R, Malling HJ, JACI 1998;102:558–562) established the formal terminology. Lay terms include allergy shots, allergy injections, and desensitization shots (though 'desensitization' is technically less precise than 'allergen immunotherapy'). The AAAAI/ACAAI/JCAAI Practice Parameter uses 'allergen immunotherapy (subcutaneous)' as the standard US term per Cox L et al. (JACI 2011;127[1 Suppl]:S1–S55).
How long has allergy shots been available?
Allergy shots have been in continuous clinical use in the United States since 1911, when Leonard Noon published the pioneering report in The Lancet (Noon L, Lancet 1911;1:1572–1573) describing the prophylactic inoculation of hay fever patients with grass pollen extract. Since then, SCIT has been refined through decades of clinical research culminating in the AAAAI/ACAAI/JCAAI Practice Parameter Third Update (Cox L et al., JACI 2011) and three Cochrane systematic reviews. The Cochrane seasonal-AR review (Calderón 2007) covers 51 RCTs and 2,871 patients — representing over 100 years of progressive evidence accumulation.
Is there an allergy shot for food allergies?
No — SCIT does not exist as an approved treatment for food allergy. Conventional food-allergy SCIT was effectively abandoned after a 1992 attempt at peanut SCIT (Oppenheimer et al.) resulted in a fatality, demonstrating an unacceptable systemic-reaction rate. The current approach to food allergy immunotherapy is oral immunotherapy (OIT). Palforzia (peanut OIT, Aimmune/Stallergenes), the only FDA-approved food-allergy immunotherapy product, discontinues commercial sales July 31, 2026. Xolair (omalizumab), FDA-approved February 16, 2024, reduces food-allergy reaction severity — but it is an anti-IgE monoclonal antibody, not classical immunotherapy. Off-label food OIT programs exist at specialized food-allergy centers.
What allergens can be treated with allergy shots?
SCIT is available for environmental aeroallergens and Hymenoptera venom. Environmental allergens include: grass pollens (timothy, ryegrass, 5-grass mix); tree pollens (birch, oak, ash, olive, mountain cedar — though cedar evidence is thin); weed pollens (short ragweed, mugwort); cat (FDA-standardized hair extract at 10,000 BAU/mL); dog (PNU-based, not FDA-standardized); dust mites (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and farinae); Alternaria mold (the only mold with robust RCT support); and various cockroach and rodent allergens. Hymenoptera venom SCIT covers honeybee, yellow jacket, yellow hornet, white-faced hornet, and Polistes wasp. SCIT does not have approved products for food allergens, non-allergic rhinitis triggers, or fragrances.
Is an allergy shot the same as an immunotherapy shot?
Yes — in lay usage, 'allergy shot' and 'allergy immunotherapy shot' refer to the same product: subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT). The AAAAI/ACAAI/JCAAI Practice Parameter and Cochrane reviews use the term 'allergen injection immunotherapy' or 'subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy (SCIT)' interchangeably with 'allergy shots.' A potential source of confusion: the term 'immunotherapy shot' in an oncology context means something completely different — it refers to checkpoint inhibitors (pembrolizumab, nivolumab) or other cancer immunotherapy injections. In the allergy context, 'allergy shot' always means SCIT.
What happens during an allergy shot appointment?
With at-home SCIT the whole process takes about 30–45 minutes. The injection itself takes less than a minute: you administer a subcutaneous injection into the upper outer arm using a small needle (26–27 gauge) from your individualized, sterile-compounded allergen extract. Your first injection and every dose change are supervised live over Zoom by your prescribing allergist, who walks you through technique and watches for any early reaction. Following the injection, you self-monitor for a full 30 minutes with your prescribed epinephrine auto-injector on hand, because most severe systemic reactions begin within this window. Before each injection you review any symptoms since your last shot and whether any interval holds are needed, and the dose is logged and advanced according to your build-up schedule. If a systemic reaction occurs, you use your epinephrine auto-injector, call 911, and notify your care team.
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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.