Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) occurs in nearly 80% of patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and is a common cause of morbidity and mortality. Oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim; and others), intravenous isethionate (Pentam 300) and other systemic drugs have been used to prevent PCP, but in AIDS patients, all of these agents can occasionally cause severe adverse effects (Medical Letter, 30:94, 1988). Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration approved marketing of aerosolized pentamidine isethionate (NebuPent - LyphoMed) for this indication. Another...

Docetaxel (Taxotere - Rh ne-Poulenc Rorer), a semisynthetic taxoid similar to paclitaxel (Taxol - Medical Letter, 35:39, 1993), has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer that has progressed or relapsed during treatment that included an anthracycline such as doxorubicin (Adriamycin, and others).

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...

The FDA has approved vismodegib (vis moe deg´ ib; Erivedge – Genentech), the first hedgehog (Hh) pathway inhibitor, for oral treatment of metastatic basal cell cancer, locally advanced basal cell carcinoma that has recurred after surgery, or locally advanced basal cell carcinoma in adults who are not candidates for surgery or radiation.

The use of intracoronary stents in angioplasty procedures has improved both short- and long-term success rates. In recent years, drug-eluting stents (DESs) have largely replaced bare-metal stents (BMSs).

The oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor baricitinib (Olumiant – Lilly) has been granted an FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for treatment of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in hospitalized patients ≥2 years old who require supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO); the EUA requires that baricitinib be used in combination with the IV antiviral drug remdesivir (Veklury). Baricitinib has been available for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis since 2018. Remdesivir was recently approved by the FDA for treatment of COVID-19 in...

The FDA has approved datopotamab deruxtecan (Datroway – Daiichi Sankyo/AstraZeneca), a trophoblast cell-surface antigen-2 (Trop-2)-directed antibody and topoisomerase inhibitor conjugate, for treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer who received prior endocrine-based therapy and chemotherapy for unresectable or metastatic disease.

The recent terrorist attacks on the US have led to many questions about the clinical effects, prevention and treatment of injury caused by chemical warfare agents.

Arformoterol tartrate (Brovana - Sepracor), a singleisomer, long-acting beta₂-agonist, has been approved by the FDA as an inhalation solution for nebulization for treatment of bronchoconstriction pulmonary disease (COPD). Arformoterol is the (R,R)-enantiomer of formoterol (Foradil), which is available as a powder for inhalation and was recently also approved as a solution for nebulization (Perforomist - Dey; available fall 2007)

Teniposide (ten i poe' side; VM 26; Vumon - Bristol), an anticancer drug that has been under investigation in the USA for 20 years, has now been approved for use in combination induction treatment of refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children. A semisynthetic derivative of podophyllotoxin, teniposide is chemically related to etoposide (VePesid - Medical Letter, 26:48, 1984).