Aripiprazole (Abilify - Bristol-Myers Squibb/Otsuka), a quinolinone derivative, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of schizophrenia.

The FDA recently cleared the AmpliChip CYP450 Test (Roche), which analyzes blood-derived DNA to detect genetic variations in the activity of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 and determines the metabolizer status of the patient. The test is intended to help guide clinicians in prescribing individualized drug therapy. About 25% of all drugs, including many antidepressants and antipsychotics, are substrates of either CYP2D6 or CYP2C19. The test is being promoted initially to psychiatrists.

The physiologic changes that occur with aging can affect the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of many prescription and over-the-counter drugs, increasing the likelihood of adverse effects.

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide because cataract surgery is not available to most people in developing countries.

The incidence of oral cancer appears to be increasing, especially in younger patients. Risk factors include use of tobacco and alcohol, and exposure to human papillomavirus. ViziLite Plus (Zila Pharmaceuticals) is a combination device that uses fluorescent light and toluidine blue tissue staining to help dentists identify abnormal changes in the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. Originally developed for detecting abnormal growths on the uterine cervix, in 2001 it received FDA clearance for "identification, evaluation, and monitoring of oral mucosal abnormalities in a patient population at...

Fourteen states in the US - Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington - now permit, or soon will permit, some medical use of marijuana (Cannabis sativa). In some states, licensed facilities dispense botanical cannabis by prescription. In others, limited self-cultivation is permitted for medical use.

Once thought to be a beneficial response to critical illness, hyperglycemia is now recognized as independently associated with death and other adverse outcomes in various groups of critically ill patients. Whether normalization of blood glucose by insulin infusion is beneficial in such patients has been a subject of debate in the critical care community. Some new guidelines have been published.

Click here to view the free full article.

L-methylfolate (Deplin — Pamlab) is a “medical food” marketed for adjunctive use in depression or schizophrenia in patients with suboptimal folate levels. It is available only by prescription.

Misoprostol (Cytotec, and generics), a prostaglandin E₁ analog FDA-approved for prevention of NSAID-induced gastric ulcers and, when taken with mifepristone (Mifeprex), for termination of early intrauterine pregnancy, has also been used off-label for years for medical management of first-trimester spontaneous abortion (miscarriage).

Development of abuse-deterrent opioid products, including reformulation of existing products, has become a priority for drug manufacturers and public health advocates. Three available opioid formulations, OxyContin (Purdue), Embeda (Pfizer), and Hysingla ER (Purdue), now include claims of abuse deterrence in their package inserts.