Bepridil hydrochloride (Vascor - McNeil Pharmaceutical/Wallace Laboratories), a calcium-channel blocking agent chemically unrelated to verapamil (Calan, and others), nifedipine (Procardia, and others), or other drugs in this class, was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for oral treatment of chronic stable angina pectoris. Because of its potential adverse effects, the labeling recommends reserving the drug for patients who fail to respond optimally to or are intolerant of other antianginal agents.

An inhalation aerosol formulation of the corticosteroid fluticasone propionate (Flovent -Glaxo Wellcome) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for maintenance treatment of asthma.

Micronized fenofibrate (Tricor - Abbott), a fibric acid derivative structurally similar to clofibrate (Atromid-S, and others) and gemfibrozil (Lopid, and others), has been approved by the FDA for treatment of hypertriglyceridemia. Increased serum triglyceride concentrations have been associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (J Jeppesen et al, Circulation, 97:1029, 1998).

Risedronate (Actonel - Procter & Gamble), a pyridinyl bisphosphonate, has been approved by the FDA for oral treatment of Paget's disease of bone. Characterized by excessive bone resorption, bony deformity, disorganized bone remodeling and structural weakness, Paget's disease occurs in up to 3% of people older than 55 in Europe and North America (PD Delmas and PJ Meunier, N Engl J Med, 336:558, 1997).

Entacapone (Comtan), a catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA for adjunctive use with levodopa/carbidopa in patients with Parkinson's disease who have end-of-dose "wearing off"symptoms.

The FDA has approved exemestane, an aromatase inhibitor, for the treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer that has progressed during treatment with tamoxifen.

Inhaled drugs for asthma are available in the US mainly in pressurized metered-dose inhalers (MDIs), which require a propellant, and dry powder inhalers, which do not. The chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellants in MDIs are being replaced by hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propellants for environmental reasons: CFCs contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer. December 31, 2008 will be the last day that albuterol MDIs using CFC propellants can be sold in the US. The FDA is expected to announce a termination date for other CFC-containing products in the near future.Three HFA albuterol inhalers and one...

Alcaftadine (Lastacaft – Allergan), an ophthalmic H₁-antihistamine, has been approved by the FDA for prevention of itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis in patients > 2 years old.

Opioids, benzodiazepines, propofol, antipsychotics and dexmedetomidine (Precedex) are frequently used in the intensive care unit (ICU) to manage pain, anxiety, agitation and delirium, and to facilitate procedures such as mechanical ventilation. The use of dexmedetomidine, a centrally-acting selective α₂-receptor agonist approved by the FDA in 1999, has been increasing in recent years. Some new studies comparing it to other drugs for ICU sedation have been published.

The FDA has approved the somatostatin analog pasireotide diaspartate (Signifor – Novartis) for treatment of adults with Cushing's disease (cortisol excess caused by an ACTH-secreting pituitary tumor) who are not candidates for pituitary surgery or for whom surgery has not been curative. Pasireotide is the first drug approved in the US specifically to treat Cushing's disease. The antiprogestin mifepristone (Korlym) was approved last year for control of hyperglycemia in patients with Cushing's syndrome, which includes other causes of hypercortisolism, such as exogenous steroids and...