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Under updated guidance, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended two allergy medicines for use in children on the NHS in England and Wales.
In updated final draft guidance published on 14 August 2026, NICE recommended itulazax (12 SQ-Bet; ALK-Abelló) to treat children aged between 5 and 17 years with allergic rhinitis and/or conjunctivitis induced by birch pollen.
In separate updated final draft guidance published on the same day, NICE also recommended acarizax (12 SQ-HDM; ALK-Abello) — a treatment for allergic rhinitis induced by house dust mites — in children aged between 5 and 11 years.
The drugs are sublingual immunotherapies, which are given as once-daily tablets that dissolve under the tongue. In 2025, NICE recommended both medicines to treat allergies in adults.
The new guidance noted that there was enough evidence to show that itulazax provides benefits and value for money, so it can be used routinely for children across the NHS.
Commenting on the decision, Amena Warner, head of clinical services at the charity Allergy UK, said: “We often hear from families whose children’s symptoms are so severe that they avoid the things others take for granted, like playing outside in spring/summer months to staying overnight with friends.
“With this approval from the NICE, eligible children can access treatment through referral to NHS clinics, which we welcome.”
George du Toit, professor in paediatric allergy at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals and King’s College London, said: “Many of my patients have spent years on multiple symptom-relieving medications without ever reaching meaningful control.
“These NICE recommendations represent a clinically significant shift. For the first time, eligible children can access a treatment on the NHS that targets the underlying cause of their condition, with growing evidence that early intervention can also reduce the long-term risk of allergic asthma developing.
“For the children and families who have been most affected, this is a long-overdue moment for paediatric allergy in the UK.”
NHS Business Services Authority data published earlier in August 2026 showed that antihistamine prescribing had increased by 18% over the past five years.
Meanwhile, the Met Office has said that a changing climate will mean that changes in temperature and rainfall may lengthen the UK pollen season, as well as potentially increase pollen concentrations.
