AllerPops just wrapped up clinical trials of its flagship product — lollipops that lead to allergy relief.
The double-blind trials showed that AllerPops' lollipops are both safe and effective, said Cliff Han, AllerPops' founder and CEO. Subjects in the trials showed relief from nasal allergy symptoms for up to a week after the treatment stopped, with minor side effects, according to an AllerPops news release.
And, surprisingly, Han said that the lollipop treatment proved effective for both groups in the trial — one group that swallowed the pops, and the other that let the pops melt in their mouths.
Saliva samples from the 72 participants in the trial are currently undergoing lab tests to show why both groups saw similar outcomes, Han said. The lab tests will also help the company better understand the interaction between bacteria in the mouth and allergy symptoms.
Han wants to generate an additional $1 million through crowdfunding for AllerPops thanks to proving the product's effectiveness through the clinical trials. Most of that money will go toward marketing the product, he said.
Crowdfunding has already provided the startup over $250,000.
With more money for product expansion and marketing, Han wants to grow AllerPops' footprint nationally.
AllerPops is also in the process of developing additional products focused on oral hygiene, including mouthwash and toothpaste.
"There's no limit for what you can do with your oral hygiene," Han said.
Eventually, Han wants his allergy relief oral hygiene products to replace existing products on the market in order to "assist people in getting longer [allergy] relief than only lollipops," he said.
AllerPops conducted the clinical trials in partnership with the Toronto, Canada-based regulatory compliance agency dicentra.
Han, a former scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, patented the formula behind AllerPops in 2017. He came up with the idea for the product after suffering from a particularly severe bought of seasonal allergies.
