Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common chronic neurodevelopmental disorder often diagnosed in school-age children that frequently persists into adulthood.Pharmacologic treatment of ADHD has been associated with reduced risks of substance abuse, criminal behavior, unintentional injuries, serious traffic accidents, and all-cause mortality. Drugs approved by the FDA for treatment of ADHD are listed in Table 1.

The FDA has approved the marketing of buprenorphine in sublingual tablets (Reckitt Benckiser) both alone (Subutex) and with naloxone (Suboxone) for treatment of opioid dependence. Previously available only for parenteral use in treatment of pain (Buprenex, and others), it offers an alternative to methadone (Dolophine, and others), which is now often abused (New York Times, February 9, 2003; page 1). As a schedule III narcotic, buprenorphine will be subject to fewer prescribing restrictions than a schedule II drug such as methadone (MJ Kreek and FJ Vocci, J Subst Abuse Treat 2002;...

The FDA has approved Roxybond (Daiichi Sankyo), an short-acting (SA) oxycodone formulation with abuse-deterrent properties, for treatment of pain requiring management with an opioid. Roxybond is the first SA opioid to be approved as an abuse-deterrent product. Oxaydo, another IR oxycodone formulation, has properties that discourage its intranasal and intravenous use, but is not considered an abuse-deterrent product by the FDA. Use of opioids for treatment of pain was reviewed in a recent issue.

Dezocine (Dalgan - Astra), a new synthetic opioid agonist/antagonist structurally related to pentazocine (Talwin), was recently approved for parenteral use as an analgesic by the US Food and Drug Administration.

A recent Medical Letter article reported renewed interest in the intranasal administration (off-label) of the opioid antagonist naloxone because of an increase in deaths from opioid overdose in the US.1 Now the FDA has approved a more practical alternative for emergency treatment of life-threatening opioid overdose in adults and children: a single-dose naloxone auto-injector (Evzio – Kaleo) for intramuscular or subcutaneous use.Evzio will be available in kits containing two prefilled 0.4-mg auto-injectors with voice guidance and a "trainer" device that also has voice guidance, but does not...

Alprazolam, a short-acting benzodiazepine, is one of the most widely prescribed drugs in the US. It is approved by the FDA for treatment of anxiety and panic disorder. An extended-release formulation, Xanax XR, which can be taken once a day, recently became available for panic disorder.

View the Comparison Table: Some Drugs for Weight Management

The recent increase in deaths from heroin overdose in the US has led to renewed interest in the opioid antagonist naloxone, particularly in making it available as an intranasal spray to paramedics and possibly to relatives and close friends of heroin users. Intravenous (IV) administration is preferred, but peripheral venous access may be difficult to obtain in IV drug abusers, and exposure to their blood may be hazardous.

The recent increase in deaths due to overdose of heroin and prescription opioids in the US has renewed interest in the opioid antagonist naloxone, particularly in making it available to first responders and to relatives and close friends of persons using heroin or taking prescription opioids. IV or IM administration by healthcare professionals is preferred, but peripheral venous access may be difficult to obtain in IV drug abusers, and exposure to their blood may be hazardous.

A once-daily extended-release (ER) oral formulation of the opioid analgesic hydromorphone hydrochloride (Palladone - Purdue Pharma) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of opioid-tolerant patients with persistent moderate to severe pain. Hydromorphone HCl, a semisynthetic congener of morphine and active metabolite of hydrocodone that has been used since the 1920s, is also available in immediate-release oral, injectable and suppository forms (Dilaudid, and others).