Since publication of our recent article on antiviral drugs for influenza, increased levels of resistance to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) have been detected in influenza A H1N1 strains.

Effective treatment of hypertension can prevent organ damage and death. The choice of drugs for initial treatment continues to be controversial.

The FDA has cleared a new device for treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) resistant to antidepressant medication. The NeuroStar TMS System (Neuronetics) produces pulsed magnetic fields that can induce electrical currents in the brain. Unlike electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), it does not require anesthesia or induction of seizures. Other similar devices are under development.

The incidence of oral cancer appears to be increasing, especially in younger patients. Risk factors include use of tobacco and alcohol, and exposure to human papillomavirus. ViziLite Plus (Zila Pharmaceuticals) is a combination device that uses fluorescent light and toluidine blue tissue staining to help dentists identify abnormal changes in the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. Originally developed for detecting abnormal growths on the uterine cervix, in 2001 it received FDA clearance for "identification, evaluation, and monitoring of oral mucosal abnormalities in a patient population at...

Consensus recommendations for dosing and therapeutic monitoring of intravenous (IV) vancomycin (Vancocin, and others) were recently published. IV vancomycin has been used for decades as an alternative to penicillins for treatment of serious infections due to gram-positive cocci. In recent years, the widest use of the drug has been for treatment of serious methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections.

The FDA has approved a delayed-release capsule formulation of valproic acid (VPA; Stavzor - Noven Therapeutics) for all of the indications for which divalproex sodium (Depakote, and others; Depakote ER) is approved: monotherapy and adjunctive therapy of complex partial seizures and simple and complex absence seizures, and adjunctive therapy in patients with multiple seizure types that include absence seizures; acute treatment of manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder; and prophylaxis of migraine headaches. In addition, valproate (valproic acid or divalproex sodium) is considered a...

Apriso (Salix) is a new formulation of mesalamine (5-aminosalicylic acid; 5-ASA) approved by the FDA for maintenance of remission in mild to moderate ulcerative colitis (UC). Mesalamine is a locally acting antiinflammatory agent that is widely used both to maintain and induce remission in inflammatory bowel disease. Various mesalamine formulations have been developed to target drug delivery to areas of the small intestine and colon. Most of these agents require frequent dosing and have a high pill burden. The newest products - Lialda, introduced in 2007,1 and now Apriso - can be dosed once...

Most patients with hypertension require more than one drug to control their blood pressure. Exforge HCT (Novartis) is a new 3-drug fixed-dose combination tablet approved by the FDA for treatment of hypertension. It combines the calcium-channel blocker amlodipine (Norvasc, and others) and the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) valsartan (Diovan), which are already available in a combination tablet (Exforge), with the most commonly prescribed diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). Exforge HCT is not approved for initial treatment of hypertension, but rather for patients not adequately controlled...

A 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23; Pneumovax 23 - Merck) is the only pneumococcal vaccine approved for use in adults. It has reduced the risk of invasive pneumococcal disease (meningitis or bacteremic pneumonia), but not mortality, in immunocompetent older adults.2 PPSV23 has not been shown to reduce the risk of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in immunocompromised patients.

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Axona (Accera), a "medical food" containing a proprietary formulation of medium-chain triglycerides (>95% caprylic triglyceride), is currently being marketed for the "clinical dietary management of the metabolic processes associated with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease."