View Table: Mechanisms of Drug Interactions

With the deployment of hundreds of thousands of troops in Saudi Arabia, health problems endemic to the Arabian Peninsula may be coming to the attention of physicians in the USA and other areas.

The FDA has approved an extended-release formulation of minocycline (Solodyn - Medicis) for once-daily treatment of non-nodular moderate to severe acne.

Temafloxacin (Omniflox - Abbott) and lomefloxacin (Maxaquin - Searle) are the latest fluoroquinolone antimicrobial agents to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for oral treatment of various infections. Previously marketed include norfloxacin (Noroxin - Medical Letter, 29:25, 1987), ciprofloxacin (Cipro - Medical Letter, 30:11, 1988), and ofloxacin (Floxin - Medical Letter, 33:71, 1991). Norfloxacin is marketed only for treatment of urinary tract infections, and lomefloxacin only for treatment of urinary tract infections and bronchitis known to be caused by...

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the marketing of clarithromycin (Biaxin - Abbott), a macrolide antibiotic, and omeprazole (Prilosec - Astra Merck), a proton pump inhibitor, for concurrent use in treatment of duodenal ulcers associated with Helicobacter pylori.

Ceftibuten (Cedax - Schering), an oral cephalosporin similar to cefixime (Suprax - Medical Letter, 31:73, 1989), has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of acute otitis media, pharyngitis or tonsillitis, and for acute bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis.

Emrosi (Journey), an oral, low-dose, biphasic-release formulation of the tetracycline antibiotic minocycline, has been approved by the FDA for once-daily treatment of inflammatory lesions of rosacea (papules and pustules) in adults. Low-dose, biphasic-release doxycycline (Oracea, and generics) has been available for years for treatment of papulopustular rosacea.

The FDA has warned that use of the macrolide antibiotic clarithromycin (Biaxin, and generics) may increase the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with heart disease.

The FDA has approved Emblaveo (Abbvie), an intravenously administered fixed-dose combination of the monobactam antibacterial drug aztreonam and the beta-lactamase inhibitor avibactam, for use with metronidazole to treat complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs) in adults.

Patients who receive pretravel advice can reduce their risk for many travel-related conditions. Vaccines recommended for travelers are reviewed in a separate issue.