Nitazoxanide (Alinia - Romark Labs), a new antiparasitic drug, has been approved by the FDA in a liquid formulation for treatment of diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia in children 1 to 11 years old. It is the first drug approved for treatment of cryptosporidiosis and the first to become available as a liquid for treatment of giardiasis. The FDA is reviewing a tablet formulation of nitazoxanide for use in adults.

Eletriptan hydrobromide (Relpax Pfizer) is now available in the US for oral treatment of migraine headache in adults. It is the seventh serotonin 5-HT1B/1D-receptor agonist (triptan) to be approved by the FDA for this indication. This review describes the pharmacokinetics, adverse effects, drug interactions and recommended dosage of eletriptan. Clinical trials comparing the new drug to placebo and to sumatriptan are presented. A dosage and cost table for all the triptans available in the US is also included. The review concludes with an overall assessment of eletriptan's efficacy and...

Recent publicity about symptoms of ovarian cancer will prompt many questions from patients about testing for the disease. Early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer is potentially curable, with survival rates of 90-95%, but about 75% of women have advanced or metastatic disease at diagnosis. Between physical examination and exploratory surgery, 2 tests are commonly used.1Transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) images the ovaries better than transabdominal ultrasound. In a study in which 25,327 asymptomatic women were screened with TVUS annually from 1987 to 2005, 364 patients had exploratory surgery, and 44...

Some recently published studies suggest that taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may increase the risk of developing osteoporosis. A relationship between SSRIs and osteoporosis is biologically plausible because bone has serotonin receptors, and SSRI-treated mice have reduced bone mass.

Ixabepilone (ix ab ep' i lone; Ixempra - Bristol-Myers Squibb), a semisynthetic epothilone analog, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of advanced breast cancer. It is indicated for use in combination with capecitabine (Xeloda - Roche) for treatment of locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer after failure of an anthracycline such as doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and a taxane such as paclitaxel (Taxol, and others). It is also approved as monotherapy for treatment of metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer after an anthracycline, a taxane and capecitabine have...

The FDA has approved the marketing of sinecatechins (Veregen - Bradley/Medigene), a botanical drug product, for treatment of external genital and perianal warts. Sinecatechins is a water extract of green tea leaves from Camellia sinensis. It is a mixture of catechins and other green tea components.

Nilotinib (Tasigna - Novartis), a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic or accelerated phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in patients resistant to or intolerant of imatinib (Gleevec).

The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac, has been approved by the FDA in a 1% topical gel formulation (Voltaren Gel - Endo) for treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). A 3% topical diclofenac gel (Solaraze) is currently approved for treatment of actinic keratoses, but not for topical use on joints. No other topical NSAIDs are approved by the FDA for OA. A diclofenac patch (Flector) was recently approved by the FDA for treatment of pain due to minor strains, sprains and contusions.

Bevacizumab (Avastin - Genentech) is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to vascular endothelial growth factor and prevents it from binding to receptors on endothelial cells, inhibiting formation of new blood vessels. Previously approved by the FDA for use in combination regimens for first-line treatment of metastatic colon cancer and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, and used off-label for treatment of agerelated macular degeneration, it has now also been approved by the FDA for use in combination with paclitaxel (Taxol, and others) for first-line treatment of...

Fluvoxamine maleate, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that has been available for many years in an immediate-release formulation (Luvox, and others) for treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adults, has now been approved by the FDA in an extended-release formulation (Luvox CR - Jazz Pharmaceuticals) for treatment of OCD and social anxiety disorder (SAD) in adults.