Retapamulin is a topical antibiotic which was approved by FDA (Altabax brand name) for the treatment of impetigo due to Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-susceptible isolates only) or Streptococcus pyogenes. Retapamulin exerts its antibacterial action by binding to 50S subunit of the bacterial ribosome.

Telbivudine is an antiviral drug used in the treatment of hepatitis B infection. It is marketed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis under the trade names Sebivo (Europe) and Tyzeka (United States). Clinical trials have shown it to be significantly more effective than lamivudine or adefovir, and less likely to cause resistance. Telbivudine is a synthetic thymidine nucleoside analogue; it is the L-isomer of thymidine. It is taken orally in a dose of 600 mg once daily with or without food. TYZEKA is the trade name for telbivudine, a synthetic thymidine nucleoside analogue with activity against hepatitis B virus (HBV). The chemical name for telbivudine is 1-((2S,4R,5S)-4-hydroxy-5-hydroxymethyltetrahydrofuran-2-y1)-5-methyl-1H-pyrimidine-2,4-dione, or 1-(2-deoxy-β-L-ribofuranosyl)-5-methyluracil. Telbivudine is a synthetic thymidine nucleoside analogue with activity against HBV DNA polymerase. It is phosphorylated by cellular kinases to the active triphosphate form, which has an intracellular half-life of 14 hours. Telbivudine 5'-triphosphate inhibits HBV DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase) by competing with the natural substrate, thymidine 5'-triphosphate. Incorporation of telbivudine 5'-triphosphate into viral DNA causes DNA chain termination, resulting in inhibition of HBV replication. Telbivudine is an inhibitor of both HBV first strand (EC50 value = 1.3 ± 1.6 µM) and second strand synthesis (EC50 value = 0.2 ± 0.2 µM). Telbivudine 5'-triphosphate at concentrations up to 100 µM did not inhibit human cellular DNA polymerases α, β, or γ. No appreciable mitochondrial toxicity was observed in HepG2 cells treated with telbivudine at concentrations up to 10 µM.

French pharmaceutical company Hoechst Marion Roussel (later Sanofi-Aventis) began phase II/III clinical trials of telithromycin (HMR-3647) in 1998. Telithromycin was approved by the European Commission in July 2001 and subsequently went on sale in October 2001. In the US, telithromycin received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval on April 1, 2004 Telithromycin is the first ketolide antibiotic to enter clinical use and is sold under the brand name of Ketek. After significant controversy regarding safety and research fraud, the US Food and Drug Administration sharply curtailed the approved uses of the drug in 2007. Telithromycin is a semi-synthetic erythromycin derivative. It is created by substituting a ketogroup for the cladinose sugar and adding a carbamate ring in the lactone ring. An alkyl-aryl moiety is attached to this carbamate ring. Furthermore, the carbon at position 6 has been methylated, as is the case in clarithromycin, to achieve better acid-stability. For the treatment of Pneumococcal infection, acute sinusitis, acute bacterial tonsillitis, acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis, lower respiratory tract infection and lobar (pneumococcal) pneumonia. KETEK tablets contain telithromycin, a semisynthetic antibacterial in the ketolide class for oral administration. Telithromycin blocks protein synthesis by binding to domains II and V of 23S rRNA of the 50S ribosomal subunit. By binding at domain II, telithromycin retains activity against gram-positive cocci (e.g., Streptococcus pneumoniae) in the presence of resistance mediated by methylases (erm genes) that alter the domain V binding site of telithromycin. Telithromycin may also inhibit the assembly of nascent ribosomal units.

Valdecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, is classified as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Valdecoxib was manufactured and marketed under the brand name Bextra. Bextra was indicated for relief of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis and adult rheumatoid arthritis. For the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea. But in 2005 FDA requested that Pfizer withdraw Bextra from the American market, because the Agency had concluded that the overall risk versus benefit profile of Bextra was unfavorable. That conclusion was based on the potential increased risk for serious cardiovascular (CV) adverse events, an increased risk of serious skin reactions (e.g., toxic epidermal necrolysis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, erythema multiforme) compared to other NSAIDs, and the fact that Bextra had not been shown to offer any unique advantages over the other available NSAIDs.

Emedastine is an antihistaminic agent, which was approved by FDA for the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis (Emadine brand name). The drug acts selectively on H1 receptors with lower affinity to H2 and H3 subtypes. Emedastine has a relatively unfavorable CNS effect profile. A small percentage of patients reported somnolence as an adverse effect after administration.

Saquinavir (brand names Invirase and Fortovase) is an antiretroviral drug used together with other medications to treat or prevent HIV/AIDS. Saquinavir is an inhibitor of HIV protease. HIV protease is an enzyme required for the proteolytic cleavage of viral polyprotein precursors into individual functional proteins found in infectious HIV. Saquinavir is a peptide-like substrate analog that binds to the protease active site and inhibits the activity of the enzyme. Saquinavir inhibition prevents cleavage of the viral polyproteins resulting in the formation of immature noninfectious virus particles. The most frequent adverse events with saquinavir in either formulation are mild gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea, nausea, loose stools & abdominal discomfort. Invirase is better tolerated than Fortovase.

Stavudine is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) with activity against Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1). Stavudine is phosphorylated to active metabolites that compete for incorporation into viral DNA. They inhibit the HIV reverse transcriptase enzyme competitively and act as a chain terminator of DNA synthesis. The lack of a 3'-OH group in the incorporated nucleoside analogue prevents the formation of the 5' to 3' phosphodiester linkage essential for DNA chain elongation, and therefore, the viral DNA growth is terminated. Stavudine inhibits the activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) both by competing with the natural substrate dGTP and by its incorporation into viral DNA. Stavudine is used for the treatment of human immunovirus (HIV) infections. Stavudine is sold under the brand name Zerit among others.

Melatonin (5-methoxy N-acetyltryptamine) is a hormone synthesized and released from the pineal gland at night, which acts on specific high affinity G-protein coupled receptors to regulate various aspects of physiology and behaviour, including circadian and seasonal responses, and some retinal, cardiovascular and immunological functions. Melatonin is also made synthetically and available without a prescription as an over-the-counter (OTC) dietary supplement in the U.S. Melatonin supplementation has many uses, however, it has been widely studied for treatment of jet lag and sleep disorders. Parents may consider using melatonin to help their child who has a trouble falling asleep. A medical professional should always evaluate insomnia or other sleeping disorders in children. Additionally, melatonin has been shown to protect against oxidative stress in various, highly divergent experimental systems. There are many reasons for its remarkable protective potential. In mammals, melatonin binds to a number of receptor subtypes including high-affinity (MT1 and MT2) and low-affinity (MT3, nuclear orphan receptors) binding sites, which are distributed throughout the central nervous system and periphery.

Perflenapent (EchoGen, Sonus Pharmaceuticals, Bothel, WA, USA) is a transpulmonary echocardiographic contrast agent for use in patients with suspected or established cardiovascular disease to provide opacification of cardiac chambers, enhance left ventricular border delineation with resulting improvement in wall motion visualisation. EchoGen comprises liquid droplets of dodecafluoropentane stabilised by polyfluoroalkyl(polyoxyethylene) ethanol and dispersed in an aqueous formulation containing sucrose. Dodecafluoropentane is the chemical name used to reflect the perflenapent/perflisopent mixture. Following activation and administration of EchoGen, dodecafluoropentane microbubbles are formed. EchoGen should only be used in patients where the study without contrast enhancement is inconclusive. The European Commission has approved SONUS Pharmaceuticals' EchoGen (perflenapent emulsion) in all 15 countries of the European Union. EchoGen is a fluorocarbon-based ultrasound contrast agent which has been approved as a transpulmonary echocardiographic contrast agent for use in patients with suspected or established cardiovascular disease who have had previous inconclusive non-contrast studies. Additional approved labeling in the EU states that the use of EchoGen in spectral and color Doppler studies was shown to enhance the visualization of blood flow across mitral, aortic and tricuspid valves in a subset of patients. In 2000 SONUS Pharmaceuticals withdrew the NDA for EchoGen in the USA.

Idebenone is a synthetic short-chain benzoquinone and a substrate for the enzyme NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) capable of stimulating mitochondrial electron transport and supplementing cellular energy levels. Idebenone was initially developed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive defects. This has been met with limited success. The Swiss company Santhera Pharmaceuticals has started to investigate it for the treatment of neuromuscular diseases. In 2010, early clinical trials for the treatment of Friedreich’s ataxia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy have been completed. In clinical trials, Idebenone (Raxone/Catena) had a positive impact on a measurement of respiratory function (Peak Expiratory Flow, or PEF) in non-ambulatory Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients who were not taking steroids. As of December 2013 the drug is not approved for these indications in North America or Europe. It is approved for the treatment of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) in Europe. Idebenone (Raxone) is indicated for the treatment of visual impairment in adolescent and adult patients with Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). Because the number of patients with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy is low, the disease is considered ‘rare’, and Raxone was designated an ‘orphan medicine’ on 15 February 2007. Idebenone is thought to help improve production of energy by restoring mitochondrial function, thereby preventing the cellular damage and the loss of sight seen in LHON. Idebenone is a rapidly absorbed, safe and well-tolerated drug and is currently the only clinically proven treatment option for Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) patients.