Oxcarbazepine, which is chemically similar to carbamazepine, and levetiracetam, a pyrrolidine acetamide chemically unrelated to other antiepileptic drugs, are the sixth and seventh drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in the last five years for oral use in partial seizures.

Pantoprazole, the fourth benzimidazole proton pump inhibitor to become available in the United States, has been marketed for short-term oral treatment of erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

A recent supplement to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, titled "The Expert Consensus Guideline Series: Optimizing Pharmacologic Treatment of Psychotic Disorders," concluded that most experts endorsed use of second-generation (atypical) antipsychotics rather than first-generation drugs, with risperidone (Risperdal - Janssen) the top choice for first episodes, multiple episodes or switches from another drug (JM Kane et al, J Clin Psychiatry 2003; 64 suppl 12:5). The supplement was sponsored by Janssen.

Rifaximin (Xifaxan - Salix), a non-absorbed oral antibiotic derived from rifampin (Rifadin, and others), has been approved by the FDA for treatment of travelers' diarrhea caused by noninvasive strains of Escherichia coli in patients 12 years of age or older. It has been available in Europe since 1987.

A fixed-dose combination of oxycodone 5 mg and ibuprofen 400 mg (Combunox - Forest Laboratories) is now available and is being heavily advertised for short-term treatment of moderate to severe acute pain.

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.

A new once-daily, low-dose oral formulation of doxycycline monohydrate (Oracea - CollaGenex) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of inflammatory papules and pustules associated with rosacea in adults.

The equivalence of generic drugs to their brand-name precursors continues to be controversial. The last Medical Letter review of this subject (2002) concluded that well-documented therapeutic inequivalence between brand-name and FDA-approved generic drugs had not been reported. Is that still true? New data have become available for some drugs.

The FDA has approved a combination oral contraceptive containing the estrogen estetrol and the progestin drospirenone (Nextstellis – Mithra/Mayne). Estetrol is the first new estrogen to become available in the US in 50 years. Drospirenone is available alone (Slynd) and in combinations with the estrogen ethinyl estradiol for prevention of pregnancy.

The interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor antagonist tocilizumab (Actemra – Genentech) has received an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the FDA for IV treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients ≥2 years old who are receiving a systemic corticosteroid and require supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Tocilizumab has been approved by the FDA for various indications, including rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.