The injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist semaglutide (Ozempic – Novo Nordisk) has been approved by the FDA to reduce the risk of sustained eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease, and cardiovascular death in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD). It is the first GLP-1 receptor agonist to be approved in the US for this indication.

Four new drugs have become available in the USA for HIV infection or its complications. Nevirapine (Viramune - Roxane), intravenous cidofovir (Vistide - Gilead), and amphotericin B oral suspension (Fungizone Oral Suspension - Bristol-Myers Squibb) have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration; nelfinavir (Viracept - Agouron) is currently available only through an "Expanded Access Program."

Diagnostic tests for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection use four approaches: identification of antibodies to viral proteins, detection of viral antigens, detection of viral nucleic acids, and culturing the virus (CJ Schleupner in GL Mandell et al, eds, Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, 4th ed, New York:Churchill Livingstone, 1995, page 1253). In recent years, the FDA has approved the use of a 10- minute blood test, two home collection kits, and office tests that use urine and oral secretions to diagnose HIV infection. One home test, Confide (Johnson & Johnson), was...

Rosiglitazone, the second thiazolidinedione derivative to be marketed in the USA for treatment of type 2 diabetes, has been approved by the FDA for use either alone or combined with meformin.

Fluticasone propionate, an inhaled corticosteroid, and salmeterol xinafoate, a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist, are now available together in a dry-powder inhaler for maintenance treatment of patients with asthma. The new combination is not recommended for treatment of acute bronchospasm or for treatment of children less than 12 years old.

BiDil (NitroMed), a fixed-dose combination of isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine, was approved by the FDA for adjunctive use in the treatment of heart failure in black patients.Both drugs are oral vasodilators that have been used together off-label for many years to treat heart failure in patients not responding to other drugs.

Montelukast (Singulair - Merck) is an oral cysteinyl leukotriene D₄ receptor antagonist originally marketed for treatment of asthma. It was approved by the FDA in 2003 for treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis and recently for use in perennial allergic rhinitis in adults and children ≥ 6 months old. Intranasal corticosteroids have generally been considered the most effective drugs available for prevention and treatment of allergic rhinitis.

Insulin glulisine (Apidra - Sanofi Aventis) is the third rapid-acting insulin analog to be marketed in the US, following insulin lispro (Humalog) and insulin aspart (Novolog). All three have a more rapid onset and shorter duration of action than regular human insulin. Rapid-acting insulin analogs are generally taken immediately before meals and are usually combined with a long-acting basal insulin.

A recombinant quadrivalent human-papillomavirus-like particle vaccine, Gardasil (Merck), has been approved by the FDA for use in girls and women 9-26 years old to prevent diseases associated with infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6, 11, 16, and 18, including genital warts, precancerous cervical, vaginal or vulvar lesions, and cervical cancer.

Silodosin (Rapaflo - Watson Pharmaceuticals), an alpha1a-adrenoreceptor selective antagonist, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Some medications for BPH are listed in the table on page 4. Alpha1 blockers are commonly used with 5a-reductase inhibitors such as finasteride, which can shrink the size of the prostate, but may take months to do so.