Donepezil hydrochloride (Aricept - Eisai), a piperidine-based acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, is now being marketed for oral treatment of cognitive symptoms in patients with mild to moderate dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. Donepezil is the second drug approved for this indication; tacrine hydrochloride (Cognex), also an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, has been available in the USA for four years (Medical Letter, 35:87, 1993).

Pentosan polysulfate sodium (Elmiron - Baker Norton), a semi-synthetic mucopolysaccharide structurally similar to heparin, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for oral treatment of interstitial cystitis.

Saw palmetto, an "herbal supplement,"is now being heavily promoted to the general public for treatment of urinary symptoms related to prostatic enlargement. It has not been approved for any use by the FDA.

Quazepam (Doral - Baker Cummins, Wallace) is a trifluoroethyl benzodiazepine made by Schering and approved in 1985 by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of insomnia. Like other benzodiazepines, it is a Schedule IV controlled substance.Quazepam (Doral - Baker Cummins, Wallace) is a trifluoroethyl benzodiazepine made by Schering and approved in 1985 by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of insomnia. Like other benzodiazepines, it is a Schedule IV controlled substance.

Recombinant interleukin-2 (IL-2; Proleukin - Cetus), a lymphokine that stimulates growth of T lymphocytes, is available from the National Cancer Institute on an investigational basis for treatment of renal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma. Although recently released in many European countries, the drug has not been approved for marketing by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Succimer (meso 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid; DMSA; CHEMET - McNeil), a heavy metal chelator, was recently marketed in the USA for oral treatment of lead poisoning in children.

FK 506 (Fujisawa), an immunosuppressant similar in activity to cyclosporine (Sandimmune - Medical Letter 25:77, 1983), is currently under investigation in the USA, Europe, and Japan for prevention of organ transplant rejection.

Paroxetine (Paxil - SmithKline Beecham), a new selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), is now available in the USA. Two other SSRIs, fluoxetine (Prozac - Medical Letter, 30:45, 1988; 32:83, 1990) and sertraline (Zoloft - Medical Letter, 34:47, 1992), were approved previously.

Indium 111 In-satumomab pendetide (CYT-103, OncoScint CR/OV Kit - Cytogen), a new intravenous imaging agent, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for detection of extrahepatic spread of colorectal and ovarian tumors.

The well-publicized recovery from paralysis of a professional football player has recently focused attention on the growing use of drugs to minimize the effects of spinal cord injury. Methylprednisolone sodium succinate (Solu-Medrol - Upjohn), commercially available in the USA for intravenous treatment of transplant rejection and various inflammatory and auto-immune disorders, and GM-1 ganglioside, commercially available in Italy (Sygen - Fidia) but not in the USA, are now widely used in patients with spinal cord injury.