The Lancet released a New Drug Class paper detailing how a new class of drugs named vaptans could treat illnesses such as menstrual cramps, brain hemorrhage, glaucoma, some psychotic disorders and a number of other conditions.
Professor Guy Decaux, Erasmus University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium, and colleagues reported that vasopressin-receptor antagonists, named vaptans, target 
the vasopressin hormonal feedback system. Also called an anti-diuretic hormone, vasopressin is an integral part of regulation of the circulatory system and is important to the balance of water in the body. There are several subclasses of vaptan that are complete or are in development. For example relcovaptan has been tested for the treatment of dysmenorrhea, Raynaud's disease and tocolysis. Other examples of the subclasses include drugs such as mozavaptan, lixivaptan, satavaptan and tolvaptan which all induce water loss without mineral loss.
To date only conivaptan is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of sodium deficiency (hyponatremia).
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