Regulatory and Washington

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Healthcare Products Association on Friday submitted a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, thanking the Administration for its recent efforts to enhance flexible savings arrangements’ benefits, the association announced. The association is asking the Administration to take a further step and support restoring over-the-counter medicines’ eligibility under tax-preferred accounts including FSAs and health savings accounts. 

LAVAL, Quebec — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for fungal infections of the skin made by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, the drug maker said Friday.

The company announced the FDA approval of Luzu (luliconazole) cream in the 1% strength for treatment of athlete's foot, jock itch and ringworm in adults.

CHICAGO — The Food and Drug Administration has approved an OTC personal lubricant that helps couples conceive more easily.

Sasmar announced Friday the FDA approval of Conceive Plus, described as an isotonic, fertility-friendly personal lubricant that helps increase a woman's chances of getting pregnant naturally. The patent-pending formula is pH balanced to mimic fertile fluids and semen and contains minerals helpful to fertilization.

WASHINGTON — A Food and Drug Administration expert panel has voted to recommend approval for a drug to treat a circadian rhythm disorder that affects most people with total blindness.

NEW YORK — New cardiovascular health guidelines released this week could dampen the potential popularity of an up-and-coming class of cholesterol drugs, according to published reports.

NEW YORK — The value of drugs approved in the United States this year could reach almost $19 billion in sales five years after their launch, exceeding the value of drugs approved in 2012, according to a new report.

LONDON — The Food and Drug Administration has given orphan drug designation to an experimental treatment for a rare form of epilepsy.

GW Pharmaceuticals said Friday that the FDA had granted the designation to Epidiolex for Dravet syndrome, a severe, drug-resistant form of epilepsy that begins in infancy. The drug is an oral liquid of a highly purified extract of cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive molecule derived from the cannabis plant.

WASHINGTON — Domestic violence has devastating effects on families, but new research also links it to chronic disease in women and calls on healthcare professionals to do more to determine whether there may be a link between the two in patients.