Ondansetron (on dan' se tron; Zofran - Glaxo), a serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) antagonist, was recently marketed in the USA for intravenous use to prevent nausea and vomiting due to cancer chemotherapy. An oral formulation is available in many other countries.

hydrochloride (Ticlid - Syntex), a platelet aggregation inhibitor that has been available in Europe for more than a decade, was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to decrease the risk of thrombotic stroke in men and women who have had premonitory signs of stroke or have had a completed thrombotic stroke. The manufacturer is promoting the drug for patients intolerant to aspirin or with conditions for which aspirin has not been approved (previous thrombotic stroke; transient ischemic attacks in women). The drug has also been used for prevention of myocardial ...

Sotalol (hydrochloride (Betapace -Berlex; Sotacor -Bristol Laboratories of Canada), an antiarrhythmic drug that prolongs repolarization (Class III) and also has beta-adrenergic-blocking activity (Class II), was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for oral treatment of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.

Venlafaxine hydrochloride (Effexor - Wyeth-Ayerst) was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of depression. An aminomethyl-benzyl- cyclohexanol, it is chemically related to bupropion (Wellbutrin).

Tacrolimus (Prograf - Fujisawa), previously called FK506 (Medical Letter, 33:94, 1991), has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for primary prevention of organ rejection in patients receiving liver transplants. The drug has also been used as rescue therapy for organ graft rejection unresponsive to cyclosporine (Sandimmune) and other immunosuppressive drugs.

Tramadol hydrochloride (Ultram - Ortho-McNeil), a centrally-acting analgesic marketed in Germany since 1977, was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for oral treatment of moderate to moderately severe pain. Despite some opioid activity, tramadol has not been scheduled as a controlled substance.

Three retrospective studies have recently reported an association between beta-blocker use and a reduction in breast cancer metastasis and recurrence. No prospective, randomized trials have been published.

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 a 6% otic suspension formulation of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin (Otiprio – Otonomy) for single-dose treatment of acute otitis externa (swimmer's ear) caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus in patients ≥6 months old. Otiprio was approved earlier for prophylaxis in children with bilateral otitis media with effusion who are undergoing tympanostomy tube placement.

The FDA has approved Xacduro (Innoviva), a combination of the beta-lactam antibacterial sulbactam and the beta-lactamase inhibitor durlobactam, for IV treatment of adults with hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia caused by susceptible isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoaceticus complex (ABC).