Ashirbad Nanda

Allergic diseases are widely prevalent with one study showing about 35% of families interviewed in the United States experiencing some form of allergy and more than 50% of those affected reporting eye symptoms. Worldwide, allergies are estimated to affect 20% of the population. Allergic pathogenesis is therefore the focus of intensive research and many studies have focused on the role of histamine in ocular allergy and other atopic disorders. Histamine is a biogenic amine that plays a key role in allergic inflammation. This molecule is closely associated with immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated mast cell activation in conjunctival tissues. It also regulates physiological functions in the gut and can act as a neurotransmitter.

The development of new drug molecules is expensive and time-consuming. Improving the safety efficacy ratio of "old" drugs has been attempted using different methods such as individualizing drug therapy, dose titration, and therapeutic drug monitoring. Delivering drugs at a controlled rate, slow delivery, and targeted delivery are other very attractive methods and have been pursued vigorously. It is interesting to note that considerable work and many publications from the USA, and Europe are authored by Indian researchers.