Every year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves many new drugs. Table 1 identifies a sampling of important new products approved during the past year, their approved use, and a brief overview of the cautions associated with each drug. A sampling of some important FDA drug warnings issued during the past few months is also included (see Table 2). Neither of these tables is all inclusive; there are many more interesting new products, numerous product changes, and recent FDA warnings that are identified on the FDA Web site. Information about accessing this information and joining an FDA listserv for up-to-date information is found at the end of this article.
The FDA Web site (http://www.fda.gov) has a wealth of information about drugs, foods, medical devices, and a variety of public health concerns related to food or drugs (e.g., counterfeit drugs, buying medicines online [how to do this safely], imported drugs, and information about mad cow disease or mercury in food supplies). Professionals and lay persons will find the FDA a valuable resource for information that is always up-to-date and comprehensive.
If you do not have time to sit at the computer and peruse the FDA Web site regularly, you can register for a wide selection of listservs that will e-mail you pertinent information about new drugs, warning letters or alerts, drug shortages, and drug, food, and medical device recalls. All of these listservs are free. It will, undoubtedly, take a few minutes to decide which of the many FDA list serves you want to subscribe to, but this will be time well spent. Nurses, who are informed about new drugs, will be in a better position to provide up-to-date patient teaching about these products. More importantly, nurses who have early information about FDA alerts and warnings may be in a position to prevent patient injury. The alerts and warnings are usually sent to pharmacists and prescribers by mail, and incorporating FDA recommended changes in labeling takes considerable time. Nurses who spend a few minutes periodically reviewing new FDA information will be able to identify potential drug misadventures and possibly prevent patient injury.
INFORMATION SOURCES
1.Lexi Comp, Inc. (2004). New Drugs. Retrieved June 20, 2004, from http://www.lexi.com/web/newdrugs.jsp.
2.Turkoski, B., Lance, B., & Bonfiglio, M. (2003). Drug information handbook for advanced practice nurses [5th ed.]. Hudson, OH: Lexi-Comp, Inc.
3.U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Medwatch. (2004). 2004 Safety alerts for drugs, biologics, medical devices, and dietary supplements. Retrieved June 20, 2004, from http://www.fda.gov/medwatch.
4.U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (2004). Drugs approved by the FDA (2003), (2004). Retrieved June 20, 2004, from http://www.fda.gov.