Recently, full-page advertisements have appeared in the New York Times and other newspapers promoting the Viralizer (Viral Response Systems, Greenwich, CT), a heated nebulizer-sprayer device marketed for treatment of colds, sore throats, allergy and sinusitis symptoms. The device is available without a prescription for about $30 to $40.

Bacterial infections of the conjunctivae are usually self-limited, but topical antimicrobial therapy can be helpful. A solution of trimethoprim sulfate 0.1% with polymyxin B sulfate 10,000 units/ml (Polytrim - Burroughs Wellcome, distributed by Allergan) was recently marketed in the USA for treatment of superficial ocular bacterial infections.

An oral formulation of mesalamine (5-aminosalicylic acid, 5-ASA, Asacol - Proctor & Gamble), was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis; it has not been approved for maintenance of remissions. Olsalazine (Dipentum), a similar drug (Medical Letter, 32:105, 1990), is approved for maintenance of remissions but not for treatment.

Dalteparin (Fragmin - Pharmacia), the second low-molecular-weight heparin to be marketed in the USA, is now available for prevention of deep vein thrombosis in high-risk patients after abdominal surgery. Enoxaparin (Lovenox -Rh ne-Poulenc Rorer) was approved in 1993 for prevention of deep vein thrombosis after hip replacement (Medical Letter, 35:75, 1993) and later approved for use in knee replacement. Five other low-molecular-weight heparins and one heparinoid are under investigation in the USA (MJ Cziraky and SA Spinler, Clin Pharm, 12:892, 1993).

Clopidogrel bisulfate (Plavix - Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi), a new thienopyridine antiplatelet agent similar to ticlopidine (Ticlid - Medical Letter, 34:65, 1992), has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for secondary prevention of myocardial infarction, stroke and other vascular events.

Tolcapone (Tasmar - Roche), a dihydroxy-methyl-nitrobenophenone, has been marketed as an adjunct to levodopa/carbidopa (Sinemet, and others) for treatment of Parkinson's disease in both stable patients and those with end-of-dose "wearing off"of levodopa.

Clobazam (Onfi – Lundbeck), an oral benzodiazepine, has been approved by the FDA for adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) in patients ≥2 years old. It has been available in Canada (Frisium) and other countries for years for treatment of anxiety and many types of epilepsy.

Efgartigimod alfa-fcab (Vyvgart – Argenx), a first-in-class neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) antagonist, has been approved by the FDA for IV treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis in adults who are anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody positive. The IV complement inhibitor eculizumab (Soliris) was approved for the same indication in 2017.

The oral kinase inhibitors dabrafenib (Tafinlar – GSK) and trametinib (Mekinist – Novartis) have been approved by the FDA for use together for a sixth indication: treatment of low-grade glioma (LGG) with a BRAF V600E mutation in patients ≥1 years old who require systemic therapy. This combination is the first systemic therapy to be approved in the US for first-line treatment of LGG with a BRAF V600E mutation in pediatric patients. The FDA also approved new oral formulations of both drugs for patients who are unable to swallow dabrafenib capsules or trametinib...

Mesalamine (Rowasa - Reid-Rowell), probably better known as 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and also called mesalazine in some other countries, was recently marketed in the USA as an enema for treatment of mild to moderate distal ulcerative colitis, including ulcerative proctosigmoiditis and ulcerative proctitis.