Because of concerns about the possibility of bioterrorism involving smallpox, the US government is reinstituting smallpox vaccination (https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/; www.idsociety.org/bt/toc.htm)....

The FDA has approved the marketing of loratadine (Claritin - Schering), a second-generation H₁-antihistamine, without a prescription. The drug was also recently approved for OTC...

Augmentin XR (GlaxoSmithKline), an oral extended-release combination of amoxicillin and the beta-lactamase inhibitor clavulanic acid, is now being promoted for treatment of acute bacterial...

Oxaliplatin (Eloxatin -Sanofi-Synthelabo) has been approved by the FDA for use in combination with fluorouracil (5-FU; Adrucil, and others) and leucovorin (LV; Wellcovorin) for...

The single sentence on vaccination site care in our recent article on Smallpox Vaccination (Vol. 45, page 2) needs clarification. In the past, the vaccination site was generally left uncovered, but...

Teriparatide (ter i par' a tide; Forteo - Lilly), a recombinant segment of human parathyroid hormone, has been approved by the FDA for parenteral treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal...

Atomoxetine (Strattera - Lilly) is the first non-stimulant drug to be approved by the FDA for treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Unlike other drugs approved for use...

The FDA has approved the marketing of buprenorphine in sublingual tablets (Reckitt Benckiser) both alone (Subutex) and with naloxone (Suboxone) for treatment of opioid dependence....

Aripiprazole (Abilify - Bristol-Myers Squibb/Otsuka), a quinolinone derivative, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of schizophrenia.

The FDA recently approved three new drugs for treatment of hyperlipidemia. Ezetimibe (ez et' i mibe; Zetia) is the first in a new class of drugs that inhibit intestinal absorption of...

The FDA has approved recombinant interferon alfa-2a conjugated to polyethylene glycol (Pegasys - Roche) alone or with oral ribavirin (Copegus - Roche) for treatment of adults with...

Montelukast (Singulair - Merck), a leukotriene receptor antagonist already marketed for asthma (Treatment Guidelines from The Medical Letter 2002; 1:11), has been approved by the FDA for...

Anastrozole (Arimidex - AstraZeneca, Medical Letter 1996; 38:61), an aromatase inhibitor, has received accelerated approval from the FDA for adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with...

Most angioplasty procedures for coronary artery disease now include placement of stents, which have improved both short- and long-term success rates. The main limitation is restenosis, which occurs...

Adalimumab (Humira - Abbott), a tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A genetically...

The heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Prevnar - Wyeth) previously approved by the FDA for prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease in infants and children (Medical Letter 2000;...

Nitazoxanide (Alinia - Romark Labs), a new antiparasitic drug, has been approved by the FDA in a liquid formulation for treatment of diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium parvum and...

Alefacept (a le' fa sept; Amevive - Biogen) has been approved by the FDA for parenteral treatment of adults with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis.

Eletriptan hydrobromide (Relpax Pfizer) is now available in the US for oral treatment of migraine headache in adults. It is the seventh serotonin 5-HT_1B/1D-receptor agonist (triptan) to...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), an endocrine abnormality characterized by hyperandrogenism and anovulation, affects 5-10% of women of reproductive age in the US. It is often accompanied by obesity...

A new pentavalent vaccine (Pediarix - GlaxoSmithKline), licensed by the FDA for children 6 weeks to 7 years old, includes the antigens from vaccines already marketed against diphtheria,...

A patch formulation of oxybutynin (Oxytrol - Watson) is now available for treatment of overactive bladder. It is claimed to be as effective as the oral drug, with less dry mouth.

Eplerenone (e pler' en one; Inspra - Pharmacia), an aldosterone receptor antagonist similar to spironolactone (Aldactone, and others), has been approved by the FDA, but not yet...

Superseded by The Medical Letter "Insect Repellents" - Issue 1579, August 26, 2019Insect repellents have been used on the skin for many years, primarily to prevent mosquito bites, which...

A cyclosporine 0.05% ophthalmic emulsion (Restasis - Allergan) has been approved by the FDA for use in patients with dry eye disease (keratoconjunctivitis sicca). This review begins with a...

The FDA has approved an extended-release (XR) formulation of the benzodiazepine alprazolam (Xanax XR - Pfizer) for treatment of panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia. The new...

High doses of beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E and zinc oxide are now being promoted to the general public to "preserve eye health" (Ocuvite PreserVision), "promote retinal and visual...

Changes caused by one drug in the absorption, distribution, metabolism or excretion of another may lead to a pharmacokinetic adverse drug interaction (DN Juurlink et al, JAMA 2003; 289:1652)....

Enfuvirtide (T-20; Fuzeon Trimeris/Roche), the first in a new class of HIV drugs known as fusion inhibitors, has received accelerated approval from the FDA for use with other antiretrovirals...

A high-intensity, narrow-band blue light (ClearLight -Lumenis) approved by the FDA for treatment of moderate inflammatory acne vulgaris has been featured in some stories in fashion magazines....

Recently pharmaceutical manufacturers have marketed a stereoisomer of a successful drug nearing patent expiration as a new drug. Examples, such as esomeprazole (Nexium) , levalbuterol (Xopenex),...

A "Dear Colleague" letter from the UK's Committee on Safety of Medicines advised physicians, on the basis of unpublished data, not to use paroxetine (Paxil in the US; Seroxat in the UK) to treat...

Testing for HIV infection in the US typically has been a two-step process that requires patients to return for results. This review describes two rapid tests currently FDA-approved, OraQuick and...

The FDA has approved pegvisomant (Somavert Pfizer), a growth hormone receptor antagonist, for parenteral treatment of acromegaly in patients who are not candidates for or have had an inadequate...

Bortezomib (PS341; Velcade Millenium), the first proteasome inhibitor, has received accelerated approval from the FDA for treatment of refractory multiple myeloma. This review includes...

Summer heat waves cause thousands of cases of heat-related illness in the US each year and hundreds of heat-related deaths, especially among the elderly. This review describes the contributing...

The FDA recently approved the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole magnesium (Prilosec OTC) for over-the-counter use for treatment of frequent heartburn. It will be marketed in late September or...

Aprepitant (Emend - Merck), the first substance P/neurokinin 1 (NK₁) receptor antagonist to be approved by the FDA, is now available for oral use with corticosteroids and selective...

The July 2003 edition of the Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter, published by Health Canada (the Canadian FDA), reported that the Health Canada database had received more spontaneous...

In the February 2003 update of the Adverse Drug Interactions Program and in the Handbook of Adverse Drug Interactions 2003, the potentially lethal interaction between selective serotonin reuptake...

FluMist (MedImmune), the first live-attenuated and first intranasally administered influenza vaccine, has been approved by the FDA to prevent influenza in healthy people 5-49 years old. Given...

The FDA has approved release of omalizumab (oh mah lye zoo mab; Xolair - Genentech, Novartis), a humanized monoclonal antibody given subcutaneously that binds to immunoglobulin E (IgE). The...

Laparoscopic surgery has become increasingly popular for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The usual surgical procedure, a Nissen fundoplication, prevents reflux into the...

Two new topical testosterone products, a 1% gel (Testim) and a buccal tablet (Striant), have been approved by the FDA for treatment of hypogonadism in men. This review briefly describes...

Memantine hydrochloride, which has been used to treat dementia in Germany (Axura Merz) since 1982, has become the latest word-of-mouth miracle drug for Alzheimer's disease in the US (G...

Agalsidase beta (Fabrazyme Genzyme) has received accelerated approval from the FDA for treatment of patients with Fabry disease, an inherited lysosomal storage disease caused by deficiency...

Azelaic acid 15% gel (Finacea Berlex) is now available in the US for treatment of mild to moderate rosacea. A 20% cream formulation of the drug (Azelex Allergan; Medical Letter 1996;...

Vardenafil (Levitra -Bayer) is the second oral drug approved by the FDA for treatment of erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil (Viagra - Medical Letter 1998; 40:51), the first oral drug, has been...

Superseded by The Medical Letter "Influenza Vaccine for 2020-2021" - Issue 1607, September 21, 2020Unlike the last few years there is no early-season shortage of influenza vaccine....

Rosuvastatin (Crestor - AstraZeneca), an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (or "statin"), was recently approved by the FDA for lowering serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations and raising...

Lipoprotein associated phospholipase A₂ (Lp-PLA₂), an enzyme involved in the repair of oxidative damage to lipoproteins, causes release of inflammatory mediators associated...

High plasma homocysteine concentrations, like high cholesterol, have been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death (O Nygσrd et al, N Engl J Med 1997; 337:230; RS Vasan...

Bexxar, a combination of the monoclonal antibody tositumomab and radiolabeled Iodine-131 tositumomab (Corixa Corp/GlaxoSmithKline) has been approved by the FDA for a single treatment of...

Recombinant human α-L-iduronidase (laronidase; Aldurazyme BioMarin/Genzyme), an orphan drug, has been approved by the FDA for enzyme replacement therapy in mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type I,...

The FDA has approved Humatrope, Lilly's brand of recombinant human growth hormone (somatropin), for long-term treatment of children with idiopathic, non-growth-hormone-deficient (NGHD) short...

Atazanavir (Reyataz - Bristol-Myers Squibb), a new protease inhibitor (PI), and emtricitabine (Emtriva - Gilead), a nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI)...

Five different selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are promoted for treatment of depression and a sixth (fluvoxamine) for use in obsessive compulsive disorder. Which one should we...

While more people than ever are getting tattoos, many come to regret their decision and would like to have them removed. The technology of removing tattoos is much better than it used to be, but...

Efalizumab (Raptiva - Genentech/XOMA), a humanized monoclonal antibody that inhibits T-cell activation, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of adults with moderate to severe chronic...

Improved glucose meters and 2 sensing systems for continuous monitoring have become available for management of diabetes.

Questions have been raised in the US press recently about the safety of Canadian drugs. The process of drug approval in Canada is similar to that in the US (D Paul, Int J Med Marketing 2001; 1:224)....

Tadalafil (Cialis - Lilly Icos) is the third oral drug to be approved by the FDA for treatment of erectile dysfunction. It has a longer duration of action than sildenafil (Viagra) or...

A recent supplement to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, titled "The Expert Consensus Guideline Series: Optimizing Pharmacologic Treatment of Psychotic Disorders," concluded that most...