Recently pharmaceutical manufacturers have marketed a stereoisomer of a successful drug nearing patent expiration as a new drug. Examples, such as esomeprazole (Nexium) , levalbuterol (Xopenex), escitalopram (Lexapro) and dexmethylphenidate

Testing for HIV infection in the US typically has been a two-step process that requires patients to return for results. This review describes two rapid tests currently FDA-approved, OraQuick and Reveal. It includes a table with the cost and characteristics of each test (result time, device type, equipment needed, etc.).

An injectable gel of hyaluronic acid (Restylane) has been approved by the FDA for correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds. Manufactured by Q-Med AB, a Swedish company, it has been used outside the US since 1996.

The phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor tadalafil (Cialis - Lilly) is now being promoted for once daily treatment of erectile dysfunction. Tadalafil differs from sildenafil (Viagra) and vardenafil (Levitra), the other PDE5 inhibitors marketed for erectile dysfunction in the US, in having a much longer duration of action.

In recent months, both the lay media and some medical experts have raised concerns about the effectiveness and safety of ezetimibe, a widely used drug that prevents absorption of cholesterol from the GI tract. Ezetimibe is available alone as Zetia and in combination with 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg of simvastatin (Zocor, and others) as Vytorin.

The FDA has approved abaloparatide (Tymlos – Radius Health), a synthetic analog of human parathyroid hormone related peptide, for treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who are at high risk for fracture. Abaloparatide is the second parathyroid hormone receptor agonist to be approved for this indication; teriparatide (Forteo – Lilly), a recombinant parathyroid hormone analog, was the first. They are the only drugs approved for treatment of osteoporosis that stimulate bone formation. Other drugs used for this indication inhibit bone resorption.

Cetuximab (Erbitux - ImClone Systems/Bristol-Myers Squibb), an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, and bevacizumab (Avastin - Genentech), the first vascular endothelial growth factor angiogenesis inhibitor, have recently been approved by the FDA for treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Cetuximab is approved for treatment of patients with EGFR-expressing tumors, either in combination regimens with irinotecan (Camptosar)when the cancer has progressed on irinotecan-based therapy, or as monotherapy for those who cannot tolerate irinotecan. Bevacizumab is approved...

Clopidogrel (Plavix), which prevents arterial thrombosis by inhibiting platelet activation, is commonly prescribed (usually with aspirin) for months after acute coronary syndromes and stent implantation. It may also, however, increase the risk of bleeding. Therefore, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) such as omeprazole (Prilosec, and others) is often given concurrently to decrease the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Some reports have suggested that omeprazole may interfere with the antiplatelet effect of clopidogrel.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are widely used in patients at risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD) because these devices have been highly successful in terminating life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias and in increasing survival.

Rufinamide (Banzel - Eisai), a triazole derivative structurally unrelated to other marketed antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), has been approved by the FDA for treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) in patients ≥4 years old.