New Products

For more information, call 866-DERM-001 (337-6001) or visit the company's Web site at http:// http://www.pharmaderm.com/.

Menopause screening tests for home and office Menocheck, an over-the-counter, one-step, at-home menopause indicator test, is now available at pharmacies nationwide. Similar to a home pregnancy test, the convenient midstream wand device is a noninvasive alternative to clinical blood testing for initial screenings. The product works by measuring urinary FSH, which usually rises gradually once menopause begins.

The agency based its approval on findings from four double-blind, 12-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group multicenter trials involving more than 3,000 patients who had symptoms of urgency, frequency, and/or urge incontinence. In all four studies, the efficacy of once-daily administration of 5 or 10 mg of VESIcare was consistent across patient age and gender. The most common side effects were dry mouth (5 mg, 10.9%; 10 mg, 27.6% vs. placebo, 4.2%), constipation (5 mg, 5.4%; 10 mg, 13.4% vs. placebo, 2.9%), and blurred vision (5 mg, 3.8%; 10 mg, 4.8% vs. placebo, 1.8%). As with other anticholinergic agents, VESIcare is contraindicated in patients with urinary retention, gastric retention, and uncontrolled narrow-angle glaucoma.

The drug-which is now available in the US-is co-promoted by GlaxoSmithKline and Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. For more information, visit http:// http://www.vesicare.com/.