Compared with moderate-dose therapy, intensive-dose statin therapy appears to be associated with increased risk of new-onset diabetes, concluded a meta-analysis of data from 5 statin trials published in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA. Read full article.

A monthly review of the
peer-reviewed literature by
Drug Topics' Editorial Advisor
Anna D. Garrett, PharmD, BCPS. Anna Garrett is manager, Outpatient Clinical Pharmacy Programs, Mission Hospital, Asheville, N.C.

FDA has issued a warning that smoking-cessation aid varenicline (Chantix, Pfizer) may be associated with a small increased risk of certain adverse events in patients who have cardiovascular disease. Read full article.

Diabetic kidney disease has become more prevalent in the United States over the last 2 decades due to the expansion of the diabetes population, concluded a study published in the June 22/29 issue of JAMA. Read full article.

Crizotinib, an investigational drug, demonstrated an association with a sharp increase in survival rates for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive genetic alteration, according to the results of an early-phase study presented at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Read full article.

FDA has approved the first generic versions of Levaquin (levofloxacin), an antibiotic approved to treat certain infections in people aged 18 and older. Read full article.