Recent studies suggest that timely use of automated external defibrillators operated by laypersons with minimal training can save lives. Purchase of these devices for public places or home use requires authorization from a physician.

Opioids, benzodiazepines, propofol, antipsychotics and dexmedetomidine (Precedex) are frequently used in the intensive care unit (ICU) to manage pain, anxiety, agitation and delirium, and to facilitate procedures such as mechanical ventilation. The use of dexmedetomidine, a centrally-acting selective α₂-receptor agonist approved by the FDA in 1999, has been increasing in recent years. Some new studies comparing it to other drugs for ICU sedation have been published.

The recent increase in deaths due to overdose of heroin and prescription opioids in the US has renewed interest in the opioid antagonist naloxone, particularly in making it available to first responders and to relatives and close friends of persons using heroin or taking prescription opioids. IV or IM administration by healthcare professionals is preferred, but peripheral venous access may be difficult to obtain in IV drug abusers, and exposure to their blood may be hazardous.

The FDA has approved talimogene laherparepvec (Imlygic – Amgen), a genetically modified herpes simplex virus, for intralesional treatment of unresectable cutaneous, subcutaneous, and nodal lesions in patients with melanoma that has recurred following surgery. It is the first oncolytic virotherapy to become available in the US.

The results of the recently published FOURIER trial have shown a reduction in cardiovascular events with addition of the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab (Repatha) to statin therapy in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).

Unlike new drugs, new techniques for surgery do not need the approval of any government agency. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, made possible by the development of miniaturized television cameras, is one such technique that has recently attracted widespread interest (LW Way, N Engl J Med, 323:1273, Nov 1, 1990; R Winslow, Wall St J, 216:1, Dec 10, 1990).

Epoprostenol sodium (Flolan - Glaxo Wellcome), also known as prostacyclin, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for continuous intravenous treatment of primary pulmonary hypertension.

Sucralose (Splenda - McNeil Specialty) has been approved by the FDA for use as a nonnutritive sweetener in beverages, baked goods and other foods, and as a tabletop sugar substitute (Fed Reg, 63:16417, April 3, 1998). Other non-caloric sweeteners available in the USA include saccharin (Sweet'n Low, and others), aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) and acesulfame potassium (Sunette - Medical Letter, 30:116, 1988).

Most experts agree that lifestyle modifications and metformin (Glucophage, and others) should be used first to treat patients with type 2 diabetes. If metformin alone fails to control hyperglycemia, there is no general agreement on which drug should be added next. A recent article in The Medical Letter offered some support for a sulfonylurea. Three recent trials published in The Lancet favored the long-acting basal insulin glargine, the glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) analog exenatide, and the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor linagliptin, respectively. Some of the advantages...

The FDA has cleared the Lumipulse G pTau217/ β-Amyloid 1-42 Plasma Ratio (Fujirebio), a bloodbased diagnostic test, for early detection of amyloid plaque pathology associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in adults ≥50 years old who are showing signs and symptoms of the disease. The new assay is the first blood test for amyloid biomarkers to become commercially available in the US. The Lumipulse G β-Amyloid Ratio (1-42/1-40), which measures amyloid biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), was cleared by the FDA in 2022.