Nine of 12 eligible companies have received licenses to manufacture and sell standardized Extract of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus mite. Ten of 12 eligible manufacturers are approved to manufacture and distribute extract of Dermatophagoides farinae mite. Five applications are still pending. In addition, there are 6 amendments under study that propose modifications to existing licenses; four of these propose to increase the potency of existing standardized products. The Laboratory is also evaluating mite extracts produced from mites that have been raised under different culture conditions, to explore the behavior of these products. Tests to evaluate these extracts include immunoblotting, RAST inhibition, assays for total protein, and clinical testing. Preliminary investigations into extracts of other mite species, and the reactivity to other indoor insect allergens such as cockroach and carpet beetle, are in progress.
