A new fixed-dose tablet (PrandiMet - Novo Nordisk) combining metformin (Glucophage, and others) and repaglinide (Prandin) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of type 2 diabetes in patients already taking both metformin and repaglinide, or for patients not adequately controlled on either drug alone.

Anticoagulants are the drugs of choice for treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), collectively referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE).

The FDA has approved ocrelizumab (Ocrevus – Genentech), a humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, for treatment of adults with primary progressive or relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). It is the first anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody to be approved for treatment of MS and the first disease-modifying drug to be approved in the US for primary progressive MS.

The FDA has approved lumateperone (Caplyta — Intracellular Therapies), an oral second-generation antipsychotic, for once-daily treatment of schizophrenia in adults. It is the 13th second-generation antipsychotic drug to be approved by the FDA for this indication.

The FDA has approved Winlevi (Sun), a 1% cream formulation of the androgen receptor inhibitor clascoterone, for treatment of acne vulgaris in patients ≥12 years old. It is the first topical androgen receptor inhibitor to be approved by the FDA.

Initial treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) depends on the severity of symptoms and whether they are intermittent or persistent (see Table 1).

Primary hypothyroidism is usually the result of Hashimoto's thyroiditis, thyroidectomy for hyperthyroidism, goiter or cancer, or radioactive iodine therapy for hyperthyroidism.

The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved the marketing of a cervical cap (Prentif Cavity-Rim Cervical Cap - Lamberts Ltd, England), a contraceptive device that has been used in one form or another for many years (JP Koch, Contraception, 25:161, 1982). The cap is being distributed in the USA and Canada by Cervical Cap (CxC), Ltd, PO Box 38003-292, Los Gatos, CA 95031, telephone 408-358-6264; the distributor will make the caps available only to practitioners who have attended training seminars.

Carboplatin (Paraplatin - Bristol-Myers), a cytotoxic platinum-containing drug chemically related to cisplatin (Platinol), was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for palliative treatment of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer, including those previously treated with cisplatin.

Since the implication of aspirin in Reye's syndrome, acetaminophen (Tylenol; and others) has become the standard drug for symptomatic treatment of fever and pain in children. Ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) available for many years in tables (Mortin; Advil; and others), has now become available in a suspension. The suspension will be sold by presecription for treatment of fever or arthritis in children.