New product newswire

RX

NEW DRUGS

Exactacain is a new topical anesthetic from Collegium Pharmaceutical, Cumberland, R.I., (401) 762-2000. It will be marketed by Healthpoint Ltd. Exactacain (benzocaine 14%, butamben 2%, tetracaine hydrochloride 2%) spray controls the pain and suppresses the gag reflex in surgical, endoscopic, and other procedures. With the use of a disposable, single-use applicator, the three metered-dose sprays deliver rapid and steady anesthesia.

Cranberry granola Bright Beginnings PreNatal Bar offers pregnant women an alternative to large pills. One Rx bar a day provides 100% daily value of 17 vitamins and minerals. The maker is PBM Pharmaceuticals, Gordonsville, Va., at (540) 832-3282.

NEW INDICATIONS

Merck & Co.'s VAQTA (hepatitis A vaccine, inactivated) can now be used in children as young as one year of age. Previously approved for use in patients aged two years and older, VAQTA is indicated for active immunization against disease caused by hepatitis. Merck is headquartered in Whitehouse Station, N.J., and can be reached at (908) 423-1000 ... Also for Merck, Singulair (montelukast sodium) is now indicated for once-a-day relief of the symptoms of perennial allergic rhinitis in adults and children six months of age and older. Singulair is available in 10-mg tablets for adults, in 4- or 5-mg chewable tablets for children aged two to 14 years, and in oral granules (4 mg) for children six months to five years of age.

Mobic (meloxicam) tablets and oral suspension have an expanded indication as well as new labeling. A product of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Ridgefield, Conn., (203) 798-9988, this nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) can be used to relieve the signs and symptoms of pauciarticular- or polyarticular-course juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in patients aged two years and older. Mobic was approved to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, Mobic's label also contains a boxed warning about potentially fatal cardiovascular and gastrointestinal risks. Mobic must now be accompanied by an FDA-approved medication guide regarding the safety of NSAIDs.

Novartis' angiotensin receptor blocker Diovan (valsartan) can now be used to reduce cardiovascular death in patients at high risk-with left ventricular failure or left ventricular dysfunction-following a heart attack. Diovan can thus be prescribed for a greater number of heart failure patients and is no longer limited to those intolerant of ACE inhibitors. The company can be reached at (862) 778-8300 in East Hanover, N.J.

Under an agreement with India's Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Apotex Corp., Weston, Fla., (800) 706-5575, will market the newly approved ceftriaxone for injection, available in 250-mg, 500-mg, 1-gm, and 2-gm vials; 1-gm and 2-gm piggyback vials; and 10-gm pharmacy bulk pack. The medication offers a generic alternative to Roche's Rocephin, an injectable third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic.

NEW FORMULATIONS

Namenda (memantine HCl) Oral Solution is now available for treating moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. It is equivalent on a mg-per-mg basis to the previously approved Namenda tablets and is available in a 2-mg/ml concentration, 360-ml bottle. Namenda is the product of Forest Laboratories, St. Louis, (800) 678-1605.