Two cholesterol-lowering margarines have been marketed in the USA.

Bexarotene, a retinoid analog, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for oral treatment of dermatologic manifestations of refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Eplerenone (e pler' en one; Inspra - Pharmacia), an aldosterone receptor antagonist similar to spironolactone (Aldactone, and others), has been approved by the FDA, but not yet marketed, for treatment of hypertension. It has also been tried for treatment of heart failure.

Bortezomib (PS341; Velcade Millenium), the first proteasome inhibitor, has received accelerated approval from the FDA for treatment of refractory multiple myeloma. This review includes descriptions of the mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, adverse effects, and dosage and cost of bortezomib, outlines the results of clinical studies, and concludes with an overall assessment of the drug's effectiveness.

Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke by a factor of 5. A randomized controlled trial (ACTIVE W) in 6706 patients with atrial fibrillation and one or more additional risk factors (≥75 years old; hypertension; previous stroke, transient ischemic attack or non- CNS embolus; left ventricular ejection fraction <45%; peripheral vascular disease; or 55-74 years old plus diabetes or coronary artery disease) found that a vitamin K antagonist such as warfarin (Coumadin, and others) was superior to clopidogrel (Plavix) plus aspirin in preventing vascular events, especially ischemic...

The FDA has approved avelumab (Bavencio – EMD Serono) and durvalumab (Imfinzi – AstraZeneca), two new immune check point inhibitors, and pembrolizumab (Keytruda – Merck), a checkpoint inhibitor that has been available in the US since 2014, for treatment of locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer. Nivolumab (Opdivo) and atezolizumab (Tecentriq) were approved earlier for this indication.

The oral kinase inhibitors selpercatinib (Retevmo – Lilly) and pralsetinib (Gavreto – Blueprint Medicines/Genentech) have been approved by the FDA for treatment of advanced or metastatic RET-mutant or RET fusion-positive cancers. They are the first drugs to be approved specifically for certain RET-driven cancers. Both drugs were granted accelerated approval based on overall response rates and the duration of response.

Resmetirom (Rezdiffra – Madrigal), a thyroid hormone receptor-beta agonist, has received accelerated approval from the FDA for treatment of noncirrhotic nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with moderate to advanced fibrosis in adults. NASH has recently been renamed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Resmetirom is the first drug to be approved in the US for this indication.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement, predisposes to subsequent thrombosis. The current pharmacologic approach to prevention of this problem combines an anticoagulant with one or more antiplatelet drugs.

The severity and rapid spread of COVID-19 (caused by SARS-CoV-2) have raised questions about the use of some drugs in patients with the disease and whether currently available drugs could be effective in treating it. Definitive answers are lacking, but some recommendations can be made. For additional information on specific drugs, see our table Some Drugs Being Considered for Treatment of COVID-19.