Tinzaparin sodium, a low molecular weight heparin, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of acute deep vein thrombosis.

Galantamine hydrobromide (Reminyl), a tertiary alkaloid and phenanthrene derivative extracted from daffodil bulbs, is now being marketed for oral treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Galantamine is the fourth acetylcholinesterase inhibitor approved for this indication.

Botulinum toxin type A (Botox - Allergan) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of severe underarm sweating ("primary axillary hyperhidrosis"). Injected into the skin, botulinum toxin decreases sweating by causing chemical denervation of the sweat gland.

A new albumin-bound formulation of paclitaxel (Abraxane - American Pharmaceutical Partners) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of metastatic breast cancer after failure of combination chemotherapy or relapse within 6 months of adjuvant chemotherapy. This formulation is free of polyoxyethylated castor oil (Cremophor), a solvent thought to contribute to the hypersensitivity reactions that occur frequently with standard paclitaxel (Taxol, and others) and are severe in about 3% of patients.

Belimumab (Benlysta – Human Genome Sciences/GlaxoSmithKline) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of adults with active, autoantibody-positive, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It is the first biologic agent approved for SLE and the first drug of any kind to be approved for this disease in >50 years.

The FDA has approved a sublingual spray formulation of fentanyl (Subsys – Insys) for management of breakthrough pain in adult cancer patients who are receiving and are tolerant to opioid therapy (taking ≥60 mg/day of oral morphine or the equivalent). Fentanyl is already available in the US for intravenous, intrathecal, epidural, transdermal and transmucosal use.

The intramedullary venous plexus of cancellous bone marrow does not collapse in patients who are dehydrated or in shock. Intraosseous (IO) infusion through an intramedullary cannula has effectively replaced central venous catheterization (CVC) as the method of choice for rapid vascular access in both adults and children when peripheral veins are inaccessible. Absorption of fluids into the central circulation with IO infusion is equivalent to absorption from IV sites, and IO access can be achieved more rapidly and with a higher success rate than CVC.

Electronic cigarettes, also called e-cigarettes, are battery-operated nicotine-delivery devices that resemble tobacco cigarettes. They deliver vapor containing a mixture of nicotine and either propylene glycol or glycerol. E-cigarettes are widely available in retail stores and on the internet in labeled strengths ranging from zero to high levels of nicotine and in flavors such as tobacco, mint, coffee, cherry, bubblegum, and chocolate. They are advertised as a healthier alternative to smoking a tobacco cigarette and, although not FDA-approved, as a smoking cessation tool.

The FDA has approved use of lubiprostone (Amitiza) for treatment of opioid-induced constipation in adults with chronic non-cancer pain. The drug was previously approved for chronic idiopathic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation.

The FDA has approved omacetaxine mepesuccinate (Synribo – Teva), a cephalotaxine known for many years as homoharringtonine, for treatment of adults with chronic or accelerated phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who are no longer responding to, or who could not tolerate, two or more tyrosine kinase inhibitors.