The FDA has approved tapentadol hydrochloride (Nucynta - Ortho-McNeil Janssen) for oral treatment of moderate to severe acute pain in patients ≥18 years old. It has been classified as a Schedule II controlled substance

The FDA has approved edoxaban (Savaysa – Daiichi Sankyo), a once-daily, oral, direct factor Xa inhibitor, for treatment of venous thromoboembolism (VTE) and for prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. It is the fourth new oral anticoagulant to be approved for VTE and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

The FDA has approved opicapone (Ongentys – Neurocrine), a peripherally-acting reversible catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor, for oral use as an adjunct to carbidopa/levodopa in adults with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who experience "off" episodes. It is the third COMT inhibitor to be approved for this indication; tolcapone (Tasmar, and generics) and entacapone (Comtan, and generics) were approved earlier. Opicapone has been available in Europe since 2016.

In recent years, several new drugs have been approved by the FDA for use in multiple sclerosis (MS), and many others are in the pipeline. Most recently, teriflunomide (Aubagio – Genzyme) became the second oral drug to be approved by the FDA for treatment of relapsing forms of MS.

An FDA panel has recommended that stronger warnings about hepatotoxicity be added to the labeling for acetaminophen (www.fda.gov, search "acetaminophen hepatotoxicity").

Concerns have surfaced again at the FDA and in the media about the safety of acetaminophen and the multiplicity of products on the market in the US that contain various amounts of it.

Every pharmaceutical drug is a dose-dependent poison. This article describes the clinical presentation and treatment of some dangerous overdoses commonly reported in adults.

Most respiratory tract infections are caused by viruses. Bacterial respiratory tract infections are usually treated empirically with antibiotic therapy that targets the most probable causative pathogens. Recommended antibiotic regimens for outpatient treatment of some common respiratory tract infections are listed in Table 1 for adults and Table 2 for children.