High doses of various hormones have been used for many years to prevent pregnancy after unprotected coitus. Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen, was once approved for this purpose by the US Food and Drug Administration (Medical Letter 15:58, 1973), but no drug is now approved for such use. Ovral, an oral contraceptive containing 50 g of the estrogen ethinyl estradiol and 0.5 mg of the progestin norgestrel, has been recommended as a 'morning-after' pill by some physicians (RA Hatcher et al, Contraceptive Technology 1988-1989, 14th ed., New York:Irvington, 1988, page...

To avoid the morbidity and occasional mortality of transurethral resection or open prostatectomy, some urologists are now using balloon dilatation of the prostatic urethra to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy.

Lodoxamide, a mast cell stabilizer, has been marketed in a 0.1% ophthalmic solution (Alomide - Alcon) for treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis.

The FDA issued a public health advisory on March 10, 2005 warning about a risk of cancer with topical formulations of tacrolimus (Protopic) and pimecrolimus (Elidel) used to treat eczema in adults and children more than 2 years old. Elidel has been heavily promoted to the general public on television. The warning was based on reports of dose-related cancer in animals and 29 reports of cancer (including 8 skin malignancies and 12 lymphomas) in adults and children treated with these immunosuppressive drugs. Cause and effect have not been established. When Protopic was first marketed, The Medical...

The standard antithrombotic therapy for treatment of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel (Plavix) or another thienopyridine, plus a parenteral anticoagulant while the patient is hospitalized, followed by antiplatelet therapy alone after discharge. The addition of the oral anticoagulant warfarin (Coumadin, and others) to dual antiplatelet therapy is generally not recommended for this indication because of fluctuations in its anticoagulant effect and the risk of bleeding. A recently published trial found that addition of...

The FDA has approved Durlaza (New Haven Pharmaceuticals), a 24-hour extended-release (ER) aspirin formulation available only by prescription, for secondary prevention of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke.

Monitoring adherence of psychiatric patients to oral medication may be especially difficult. The FDA has approved Abilify MyCite (Otsuka/Proteus), an aripiprazole tablet with an embedded sensor that tracks when patients take the medication. It is indicated for treatment of adults with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder. Abilify MyCite is the first drug with a digital ingestion tracking system to be approved in the US.

Turmeric is a spice derived from the Curcuma longa plant. Dietary supplements and foods containing turmeric are widely promoted for relief of pain and to improve joint mobility, immunity, digestion, cardiovascular health, depression, anxiety, memory, and cognition.

The FDA has approved the marketing of certolizumab pegol (Cimzia - UCB), a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker, for treatment of moderate to severe Crohn's disease refractory to conventional treatment. It is the third TNF blocker approved for this indication.

The FDA has approved Xultophy 100/3.6 (Novo Nordisk), a fixed-ratio combination of insulin degludec and the GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist liraglutide, for once-daily treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on basal insulin (<50 units daily) or liraglutide (≤1.8 mg daily).