The FDA has approved lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi – BMS) for treatment of adults with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified, high-grade B-cell lymphoma, primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, or follicular lymphoma grade 3B who have disease refractory to first-line chemoimmunotherapy, relapsed within 12 months of or after first-line chemoimmunotherapy, are not eligible for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation due to comorbidities or age, or have relapsed or refractory disease after ≥2 lines of...

The FDA has approved a single-injection hyaluronic acid gel (Durolane – Bioventus) and an extended-release (ER) formulation of the synthetic corticosteroid triamcinolone acetonide (Zilretta – Flexion) for intra-articular (IA) treatment of osteoarthritic knee pain.

The surprising observation that oral administration of the beta-blocker propranolol (Inderal, and others) can stop the growth and rapidly cause the involution of disfiguring or life-threatening infantile hemangiomas1 has quickly led to a series of confirmatory observations and now a controlled trial. The mechanism of this effect is not known, but is thought to be related to down-regulation of the RAF mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway resulting in inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and apoptosis in capillary endothelial cells. The response of infantile...

Since the last Medical Letter article on surgical correction of refractive errors (Volume 41, page 122, 1999), some new techniques have been tried and new results have been reported.

Gabapentin (Neurontin - Pfizer), which has been available in the US since 1994, is approved by the FDA only for treatment of partial epilepsy and postherpetic neuralgia, but is widely used off-label for a number of other indications, especially neuropathic pain syndromes. According to one report, among Medicaid recipients in Florida receiving gabapentin, 71% of prescriptions were for chronic pain and 8% for seizures and neuralgia ("The Pink Sheet" February 2, 2004; 66:30).

With the 2004 Olympics only weeks away, performance-enhancing drugs will once again be receiving a great deal of attention. The US Anti-Doping Agency has published a list of drugs banned in Olympic sports (www.usantidoping.org) that includes, at least for some sports, all but 2 of the drugs reviewed here.

Erlotinib (Tarceva) is the second oral epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor to become available in the US for treatment of advanced refractory NSCLC. In clinical trials, erlotinib produced a response rate of only 8.9%, but increased median survival from 4.7 to 6.7 months. Patients who had never smoked and those with EGFR-positive tumors survived longer. Erlotinib is generally well tolerated; diarrhea and rash are the most common adverse effects.

View the Comparison Table: Some Drugs for Migraine Prevention in Adults

Alprazolam (Xanax - Upjohn), a triazolobenzodiazepine previously available in the USA for treatment of anxiety (Medical Letter 24:41, 1982), was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia. According to one report, alprazolam was the fifth most widely prescribed drug in the USA last year (American Medical News, March 4, 1991, page 4).

Serum measurements of prostate specific antigen (PSA) are now being used in the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer. Produced by prostatic epithelium, PSA is a protease involved in liquefaction of the seminal coagulum. Whether this test should be used for routine screening is a matter of controversy; it is currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only for monitoring after treatment for prostate cancer.