19 May 2016 - The TGA has approved new indications for four medicines so far this month.

Changes commonly include 'new uses' and 'extended uses'. A new use is where an existing medicine is approved for an additional therapeutic use. An extended use is where an exisiting medicine is approved to treat a broader range of patients, e.g. wider age range.These types of changes are called 'extension of indications'. A 'new combination' is where two or more previously registered medicines are combined into a single product.

The four medicines are:

• Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate with emtricitabine (Truvada) - Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
• Secukinumab (Cosentyx) - psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis
• Perampanel hemisequihydrate (Fycompa) - primary generalised tonic-clonic seizures
• Ulipristal acetate (Esmya) - uterine fibroids

For more details, go to: http://www.tga.gov.au/prescription-medicines-new-or-extended-uses-registered-medicines