Allergies and Me: 03. Up to Around the Year 2000

A variety of antihistamines were released, offering more options based on factors such as drowsiness and potency. Meanwhile, deaths resulting from the overuse of inhaled bronchodilators were making headlines. In 1994, the long-awaited leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA) was introduced. Although initially approved only for asthma—and not for allergic rhinitis—its effectiveness against nasal congestion was widely recognized by otolaryngologists, and there was eager anticipation for the expansion of its indications to include allergic rhinitis.

Following the arrival of LTRAs, several other anti-allergy drugs with novel mechanisms of action were introduced. News regarding the discovery of chemical mediators appeared from time to time, raising hopes for the development of new therapeutic agents based on these findings. It was a time of rising expectations for research into allergy-related genes, and there was hope that allergies would be fully understood and overcome.