Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) pollen allergy is a major and growing public health problem worldwide, with clinical manifestations ranging from rhinitis and conjunctivitis to asthmatic episodes and anaphylaxis. The major ragweed allergen, Amb a 1, exhibits high IgE-binding potential and triggers type 1 hypersensitivity reactions. Although allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) effectively induces long-term immune tolerance, conventional extract-based formulations face critical limitations including batch-to-batch variability, heterogeneous allergen composition, IgE-mediated adverse reactions, inconsistent immunogenicity, and poor patient compliance. This critical re-view synthesizes and evaluates published evidence on current synthetic vaccine strategies for ragweed AIT, with emphasis on their design, immunological performance, and quality control considerations. This review critically evaluates current approaches to synthetic vaccine development for ragweed AIT, with particular focus on pep-tide-based constructs, recombinant proteins, DNA vaccines, and adjuvant-enhanced formulations, alongside corresponding quality control strategies. The available evidence indicates that synthetic vaccines provide a more rational, molecularly characterized trajectory for producing optimized AIT products with improved safety profiles, enhanced clinical efficacy, reduced injection frequency, and improved batch standardization relative to extract-based immunotherapy. These advances highlight the potential of synthetic vaccine platforms to support personalized immunotherapy and more effective disease-modifying treatment of allergic disorders.

Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) pollen allergy is a major and growing public health problem worldwide, with clinical manifestations ranging from rhinitis and conjunctivitis to asthmatic episodes and anaphylaxis. The major ragweed allergen, Amb a 1, exhibits high IgE-binding potential and triggers type 1 hypersensitivity reactions. Although allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) effectively induces long-term immune tolerance, conventional extract-based formulations face critical limitations including batch-to-batch variability, heterogeneous allergen composition, IgE-mediated adverse reactions, inconsistent immunogenicity, and poor patient compliance. This critical review synthesizes and evaluates published evidence on current synthetic vaccine strategies for ragweed AIT, with emphasis on their design, immunological performance, and quality control considerations. This review critically evaluates current approaches to synthetic vaccine development for ragweed AIT, with a particular focus on peptide-based constructs, recombinant proteins, DNA vaccines, and adjuvant-enhanced formulations, alongside corresponding quality control strategies. The available evidence indicates that synthetic vaccines provide a more rational, molecularly characterized trajectory for producing optimized AIT products with improved safety profiles, enhanced clinical efficacy, reduced injection frequency, and improved batch standardization relative to extract-based immunotherapy. These advances highlight the potential of synthetic vaccine platforms to support personalized immunotherapy and more effective disease-modifying treatment of allergic disorders.

Acute otitis media is an inflammatory disease affecting all compartments of the middle ear, characterized by localized pain, fever, hearing impairment, and, occasionally, purulent exudate. It represents a significant clinical concern in both pediatric and adult populations, with approximately 709 million cases reported annually worldwide, 51% of which occur in children. However, currently available topical otic formulations are limited by their inability to achieve predictable therapeutic concentrations at the site of inflammation, resulting in reduced efficacy. In addition, the selection of appropriate active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for drug products remains challenging; as a result, existing therapies do not comprehensively address all stages of pathogenesis. This study aimed to analyze existing locally acting formulations for middle ear drug delivery, evaluate their advantages and limitations, and assess modern approaches to the development of novel drug delivery systems and API combinations. A critical review of 69 publications (2010–2026) was conducted, supplemented by a strengths and limitations analysis of dosage forms and an evaluation of APIs based on clinical data. The findings highlight a lack of targeted drug delivery systems, limited efficacy of existing API combinations against bacterial biofilms, and their risk of ototoxicity. Emerging innovative drug delivery approaches, including microemulsions, vesicular systems, stimuli-responsive systems, and hydrogels, have demonstrated promising results in preclinical studies; however, their efficacy and safety remain to be confirmed in clinical settings before their full therapeutic potential in otitis media treatment can be realized.