Tapentadol hydrochloride: a centrally acting oral analgesic.

Background: Tapentadol hydrochloride is a centrally acting oral analgesic approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in November 2008 for the treatment of moderate to severe acute pain. It is available as immediate-release 50-, 75-, and 100-mg tablets.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to review animal studies, pharmacokinetic studies, drug-drug interaction studies, and Phase II/III trials of tapentadol in various conditions producing moderate to severe pain.

Cost-effectiveness of dalteparin versus unfractionated heparin as venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in malignant gynecologic surgery.

Venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) are serious complications that may occur in the patient undergoing surgery for gynecologic malignancies. The American College of Chest Physicians recommends unfractionated heparin or low-molecular weight heparin as prophylaxis for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in this patient population. Cost-effectiveness analyses comparing unfractionated heparin 3 times a day versus once daily dalteparin using published efficacy and safety data demonstrate cost savings if dalteparin were routinely utilized as VTE prophylaxis.