Paliperidone palmitate (Invega Sustenna – Ortho-McNeil Janssen) has been approved by the FDA as a once-monthly injection for acute and maintenance treatment of schizophrenia in adults. An extended-release oral formulation (Invega) has been available since 2006.1 Long-acting injections of antipsychotic drugs typically are used to treat patients who cannot adhere to an oral regimen.2,3 Paliperidone is the primary active metabolite of risperidone (Risperdal), which is also available as a long-acting (every 2 weeks) injection. It is unclear whether either risperidone or paliperidone is a better...

The FDA has approved belatacept (bel at´ a sept; Nulojix – Bristol-Myers Squibb) for prevention of organ rejection in adult patients receiving a kidney transplant.

The FDA has approved vismodegib (vis moe deg´ ib; Erivedge – Genentech), the first hedgehog (Hh) pathway inhibitor, for oral treatment of metastatic basal cell cancer, locally advanced basal cell carcinoma that has recurred after surgery, or locally advanced basal cell carcinoma in adults who are not candidates for surgery or radiation.

The FDA has approved the ReShape Integrated Dual Balloon System (ReShape Medical) and the Orbera Intragastric Balloon System (Apollo Endosurgery) for up to 6 months of use in adults with a BMI of 30-40 who have not been able to maintain weight loss with a weight loss program and, for ReShape, who have at least one obesity-related comorbidity. Both devices have been available in the European Union and elsewhere for years (20 years for Orbera). Three other devices, the LAP-Band, the Realize adjustable gastric band, and the Maestro Rechargeable System, are FDA-approved for long-term...

The FDA has approved datopotamab deruxtecan (Datroway – Daiichi Sankyo/AstraZeneca), a trophoblast cell-surface antigen-2 (Trop-2)-directed antibody and topoisomerase inhibitor conjugate, for treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer who received prior endocrine-based therapy and chemotherapy for unresectable or metastatic disease.

The oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor upadacitinib (Rinvoq – Abbvie) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of giant cell arteritis. Upadacitinib was approved earlier for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis, atopic dermatitis, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease.

View the Comparison Table: Some Oral/Transdermal Opioid Analgesics

Two new substitutes for fat will soon be available in supermarkets in the USA, not directly, but incorporated into low-fat foods. Simplesse (NutraSweet) has already been approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is commercially available in some areas, but only in an ice-cream-like product called Simple Pleasures. Trailblazer (Kraft General Foods) is expected to be approved soon.

In the absence of randomized studies demonstrating an impact on mortality, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has found the evidence insufficient to recommend a routine whole-body examination for melanoma and other skin cancers.

Supplemental calcium is recommended for prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis in women with an inadequate dietary intake of calcium. The safety of calcium supplements has recently been questioned; patients may ask if they should continue to take them. The source of this concern was the publication of 2 meta-analyses in the British Medical Journal.