Kelly Dowhower Karpa, PhD, RPh

Aliskiren (Tekturna, Novartis) is a new molecular entity approved for treating hypertension either as monotherapy or in conjunction with other antihypertensive agents.

Two commonly prescribed antihypertensive medications have now been combined into one tablet. With an anticipated availability this September, valsartan (Diovan, Novartis) and amlodipine (Norvasc, Pfizer) will be sold as a combination product under the trade name Exforge (Novartis). The Food & Drug Administration approval is tentative, pending expiration of market exclusivity and patent protection for amlodipine in September.

Recent news reports linking methadone with a number of casualties, including that of the actress Anna Nicole Smith's son, have fostered the idea that the substance is a "killer" or dangerous drug of abuse. This is a bit paradoxical since methadone has been successfully used in heroin detoxification programs for decades.

In the past, pharmacists played a somewhat limited role in the care and treatment of brain cancer. But all that is changing.