A live attenuated varicella vaccine (Varivax - Merck) has been approved for marketing by the US Food and Drug Administration. The Oka/Merck strain used in the vaccine is attenuated by passage in human and embryonic guinea pig cell cultures.

Losartan potassium (Cozaar - Merck), the first angiotensin II receptor antagonist, has been approved for oral treatment of hypertension by the US Food and Drug Administration. It will be marketed both alone and in a fixed-dose combination with the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (Hyzaar).

Zafirlukast (za fir loo kast; Accolate - Zeneca), the first leukotriene receptor anta-gonist approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, is now being heavily promoted for oral maintenance treatment of chronic asthma in patients more than 12 years old. It is not recommended for treatment of acute asthma.

Mirtazapine (mir taz a peen; Remeron - Organon) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of depression. A tetracyclic piperazinoazepine, it is an analog of mianserin, an antidepressant available in Europe, but is structurally unrelated to antidepressants previously available in the USA.

Brimonidine tartrate 0.2% ophthalmic solution (Alphagan - Allergan), a selective alpha2-adrenergic agonist, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of increased intraocular pressure due to open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension and for its prevention in patients undergoing argon laser trabeculoplasty.

Cerivastatin (Baycol - Bayer), a new HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (or "statin"), has been approved by the FDA for treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Cerivastatin is the sodium salt of a synthetic fluorophenyl pyridinyl-substituted heptanoic acid.

The FDA has approved marketing of the corticosteroid budesonide in an oral inhalatoin powder formulation (Pulmicort Turbuhaler - Astra) for maintenance treatment of asthma in adults and children at least six years old. Budesonide has been available in the USA as an intranasal spray (Rhinocort) for treatment of allergic rhinitis since 1994 and has been used for inhalation treatment of asthma in Canada and Europe for ten years.

Repaglinide (Prandin - Novo Nordisk) is a new oral glucose-lowering agent for treating type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or NIDDM). It has been approved by the FDA for monotherapy or for use in combination with metformin.

Fenoldopam mesylte (Corlopam - Neurex), a peripheral dopamine-1 (DA₁) agonist, has been approved by the FDA for parenteral use in lowering blood pressure. The manufacturer claims that, unlike other parenteral antihypertensive agents, fenoldopam not only lowers blood pressure but also maintains or improves renal function.

Zanamivir, a neuraminidase inhibitor taken by inhalation, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of influenza. Oseltamivir phosphate, an oral neuraminidase inhibitor, will probably be approved soon.