U.K.-based pharmaceuticals company Stallergenes Greer PLC has secured expanded approval for its anti-allergy drug Actair in Japan for use in pediatric patients.

Actair is an allergy immunotherapy already approved to treat house dust mite for patients older than 12 years of age or older in Japan. The expansion allows children ages five to 11 to be treated.

The approval was supported by the results a phase 3 study in which the drug statistically demonstrated a reduction in disease symptoms over the course of a year compared to placebo.

The drug is a joint venture between Stallergenes and Japan's pharmaceuticals giant Shionogi & Co. Ltd.