Even though it is unlikely that people living in the US will be at risk of significant radiation exposure from the nuclear accident in Japan, some readers have suggested a review of the use of potassium iodide (KI) in such circumstances. Potassium iodide taken orally before or at the time of exposure can limit or prevent uptake of radioactive iodine by the thyroid gland.

The FDA has approved vemurafenib (Zelboraf – Genentech), a kinase inhibitor, for treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma with the BRAF V600E mutation, which is found in 30-60% of melanomas. An FDA-approved test can detect the mutation in DNA from melanoma tissue.

The FDA has approved the use of the phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitor tadalafil (Cialis – Lilly) for treatment of signs and symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men with or without erectile dysfunction. Tadalafil is approved for use under another brand name (Adcirca) for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. The other PDE-5 inhibitors available in the US for treatment of erectile dysfunction (sildenafil [Viagra]; vardenafil [Levitra]) have also been reported to be effective for treatment of BPH signs and symptoms, but have not been approved for this...

The FDA has approved a nasal spray formulation of fentanyl (Lazanda – Archimedes) for management of breakthrough pain in adult cancer patients who are already receiving and are tolerant to opioid therapy. Fentanyl is already available in the US for intravenous, intrathecal, epidural, transdermal and oral transmucosal use.

Transcatheter aortic-valve replacement (TAVR), a procedure in which a prosthetic valve is inserted into the aortic annulus by a catheter, has been approved by the FDA as an alternative to surgical aortic-valve replacement for patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who are considered inoperable.

The FDA has approved the selective alpha₂-adrenergic receptor agonist brimonidine as a 0.33% gel (Mirvaso – Galderma) for topical treatment of adults with persistent facial erythema of rosacea. Brimonidine is also available in ophthalmic formulations for treatment of glaucoma.

The FDA has approved fixed-dose combinations of metformin with either canagliflozin (Invokamet) or dapagliflozin (Xigduo XR) for treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes not adequately controlled with any one of these drugs, or in those already being treated with both metformin and either canagliflozin or dapagliflozin.

The FDA has approved a 1% cream formulation of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin (Soolantra – Galderma) for topical treatment of inflammatory lesions of rosacea. Ivermectin is available in the US in tablets (Stromectol, and generics) for treatment of onchocerciasis and other worm infestations and as a 0.5% lotion (Sklice) for treatment of head lice.

The FDA has approved Descovy (Gilead), a fixed-dose combination of the nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) emtricitabine (FTC) and tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) for use with other antiretroviral agents for treatment of HIV-1 infection. A combination of emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (FTC/TDF; Truvada) has been available since 2004 for the same indication. Emtricitabine and TAF are also available in combination with the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) rilpivirine as Odefsey and with the integrase strand transfer...

The FDA has approved tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah — Novartis), an individualized, genetically-modified cellular product, for treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in patients ≤25 years old. The patient's own T cells are genetically modified to express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) and then reinfused. Kymriah is the first CAR T-cell immunotherapy to become available in the US. A CAR T-cell product for B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is expected to be approved soon.