Clozapine (Clozaril - Sandoz), an antipsychotic drug, was first marketed in the USA three years ago (Medical Letter, 32:3, 1990). Because of its hematological toxicity, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the drug only for patients with schizophrenia who cannot tolerate or do not respond to standard antipsychotic drugs.

In recent years, selective destruction of cardiac tissue by radiofrequency energy has become a routine procedure for treatment of some types of cardiac arrhythmias, particularly supraventricular tachycardias (MM Scheinman, Pacing Clin Electrophysiol, 18:1474, 1995).

Implanon (Organon), an implantable contraceptive containing the progestin etonogestrel, has been approved by the FDA. Two other implantable contraceptives, Norplant and Jadelle, which both contain levonorgestrel, are FDA-approved but not marketed in the US.

The FDA has approved an extended-release formulation of minocycline (Solodyn - Medicis) for once-daily treatment of non-nodular moderate to severe acne.

The FDA has approved Gimoti (Evoke), a nasal spray formulation of the dopamine-2 (D₂) receptor antagonist metoclopramide, for relief of symptoms in adults with acute and recurrent diabetic gastroparesis. Metoclopramide (Reglan, and generics) has been available for years in conventional and orally-disintegrating tablets and in an injectable formulation. It is the only drug that is FDA-approved for treatment of diabetic gastroparesis.

The drugs of choice for treatment of common cardiac arrhythmias are listed in Tables 1 and 2. Some drugs are recommended for indications that have not been approved by the FDA.

The FDA has approved deutetrabenazine (Austedo – Teva), a vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitor, for treatment of chorea associated with Huntington's disease and, more recently, for treatment of tardive dyskinesia in adults. It is the second VMAT2 inhibitor to be approved for each of these indications; tetrabenazine (Xenazine, and generics) was approved earlier for Huntington's chorea and valbenazine (Ingrezza) was recently approved for treatment of adults with tardive dyskinesia.

Tinidazole (Tindamax - Mission Pharmacal), an oral antiprotozoal drug available in the US since 2004 for treatment of trichomoniasis, giardiasis, amebiasis and amebic liver abscess, was recently approved by the FDA for treatment of bacterial vaginosis.

Eculizumab (Soliris - Alexion) has been approved by the FDA for reduction of hemolysis in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare form of hemolytic anemia. A recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody, eculizumab is the first drug to be marketed for this indication.

Adenosine (Adenocard - Fujisawa), an endogenous purine nucleoside, was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for intravenous treatment of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, including Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. Adenosine is not approved for and has not been effective in treating atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, or ventricular tachycardias.