AllergyTalk Special Episode: Understanding the FDA Warning on Cetirizine/Levocetirizine (Not for CME)

Welcome to a special episode of AllergyTalk, a roundup of the latest in the field of Allergy and Immunology by the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology!

On May 16, 2025, the FDA issued an alert regarding a rare but serious side effect of severe pruritus after discontinuing long-term use of cetirizine and levocetirizine. In this episode, we’ll discuss the background of this important announcement and what it means for our patients!

We are joined by Dr. Michael S. Blaiss, MD, is a clinical professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia and past-president and former Executive Medical Director of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. He has been a consultant for multiple companies manufacturing second generation antihistamines.

Host: Gerald Lee, MD
Guest: Michael S. Blaiss, MD

Price: FREE for members and non-members
Not for CME

Accreditation
The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Target Audience

Primary Care Providers
Fellows-in-Training

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this podcast, the participant should be able to:

1.    Summarize recent key developments in the field of allergy and immunology, and assess how these findings impact clinical practice in allergy/immunology management.
2.    Demonstrate practical strategies for implementing current recommendations for allergy and immunology conditions, including specific tools and techniques that can be easily integrated into daily clinical workflows.
3.    Evaluate the effectiveness of therapy implementation in their practice and employ strategies to monitor patient outcomes in accordance with the most current allergy and immunology guidelines.

Additional information
Disclosure: 

As required by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and in accordance with the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) policy, all individuals in a position to control or influence the content of an activity must disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible company that have occurred within the past 24 months.

Ineligible companies are those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing health care products used by or on patients. The ACCME does not consider providers of clinical service directly to patients to be ineligible companies. Examples of ineligible companies include:

•    Advertising, marketing, or communication firms whose clients are ineligible companies
•    Bio-medical startups that have begun a governmental regulatory approval process
•    Compounding pharmacies that manufacture proprietary compounds
•    Device manufacturers or distributors
•    Diagnostic labs that sell proprietary products
•    Growers, distributors, manufacturers or sellers of medical foods and dietary supplements
•    Manufacturers of health-related wearable products
•    Pharmaceutical companies or distributors
•    Pharmacy benefit managers
•    Reagent manufacturers or sellers

The ACCME does not consider providers of clinical service directly to patients to be commercial interests. For more information, visit www.accme.org. All identified relevant relationships must be mitigated and the educational content thoroughly vetted for fair balance, scientific objectivity, and appropriateness of patient care recommendations. It is required that disclosure of or absence of relevant financial relationships be provided to the learners prior to the start of the activity.

Learners must also be informed when off-label, experimental/investigational uses of drugs or devices are discussed in an educational activity or included in related materials.

Disclosure in no way implies that the information presented is biased or of lesser quality. It is incumbent upon course participants to be aware of these factors in interpreting the program contents and evaluating recommendations. Moreover, expressed views do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the ACAAI. All relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies have been mitigated.

Course summary
Course opens: 
06/06/2025
Course expires: 
12/31/2026
Rating: 
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Gerald Lee, MD, FACAAI, is an assistant professor in the Section of Allergy and Immunology at Emory University School of Medicine. He is the director of the Allergy/Immunology fellowship training program. His academic interests are severe asthma and medical education. Dr. Lee is also an assistant editor of AllergyWatch.

Dr. Michael S. BlaissMD, FACAAI, is a clinical professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia and past-president and former Executive Medical Director of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. He has been a consultant for multiple companies manufacturing second generation antihistamines.

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