Lyme disease in the US is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted to humans by Ixodes scapularis (blacklegged [deer] tick) and I. pacificus...

The FDA has approved loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic suspension 0.25% (Eysuvis – Kala) for short-term treatment (≤2 weeks) of dry eye disease. It is the first ocular corticosteroid to...

Plenity (Gelesis), a nonsystemic oral superabsorbent hydrogel formulation of cellulose and citric acid is now available. It was cleared by the FDA in 2019 to aid in weight management...

The FDA has licensed MenQuadfi (Sanofi Pasteur), a quadrivalent polysaccharide conjugate vaccine that uses tetanus toxoid as a protein carrier, for prevention of invasive meningococcal...

On April 23, 2021, on advice from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the FDA and CDC recommended that use of the Johnson & Johnson adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccine resume...

The oral fixed-dose combination of the neprilysin inhibitor sacubitril and the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) valsartan (Entresto – Novartis) was approved in 2015 to reduce the risk...

The FDA has approved evinacumab-dgnb (Evkeeza – Regeneron), an angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) inhibitor, for adjunctive IV treatment of homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) in...

The FDA has approved the selective beta-3 adrenergic agonist vibegron (Gemtesa – Urovant Sciences) for treatment of overactive bladder in adults with symptoms of urge urinary...

A recent article in JAMA and an interview of its senior author on 60 Minutes have heightened interest in off-label use of the oral selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluvoxamine...

Tirbanibulin, a microtubule inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA as a 1% ointment (Klisyri – Almirall) for topical treatment of actinic keratosis of the face or scalp.

The CDC has issued new recommendations for treatment of gonococcal infection. A single 500-mg IM dose (1000 mg in patients weighing ≥150 kg) of the third-generation cephalosporin ceftriaxone is...

On April 13, 2021, the FDA and CDC advised suspending use of the Johnson & Johnson adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccine while the agencies investigate 6 cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis...

The choice of drugs for treatment of allergic rhinitis depends on the severity of symptoms and whether they are intermittent or persistent (see Table 1).

View the Comparison Table: Some Oral Drugs for Allergic Rhinitis

View the Comparison Table: Some Nasal Sprays for Allergic Rhinitis

The FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Lilly's investigational monoclonal antibodies bamlanivimab (LY-CoV555) and etesevimab (LY-CoV016) to be administered together for...

Oriahnn (Abbvie), a fixed-dose combination of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor antagonist elagolix, the estrogen estradiol, and the progestin norethindrone acetate...

In recently published clinical trials, once-weekly subcutaneous injection of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist semaglutide (Ozempic – Novo Nordisk), which is...

The centuries-old anti-inflammatory drug colchicine (Colcrys, and others) is FDA-approved for prophylaxis and treatment of gout flares and for treatment of familial Mediterranean fever. It...

The once-monthly, subcutaneously injected calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist erenumab-aooe (Aimovig) was approved by the FDA in 2018 for preventive treatment of...

The FDA has approved the oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor ripretinib (Qinlock – Deciphera) for treatment of adults with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) who have previously...

View the COVID-19 Vaccine Comparison Chart

On February 27, 2021, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Johnson & Johnson adenovirus-based vaccine for prevention of COVID-19 in persons ≥18 years old. It is the third...

Most patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) present with the relapsing-remitting form of the disease. Pharmacologic treatment usually includes a disease-modifying drug, corticosteroids for...

The FDA has approved stiripentol (Diacomit – Biocodex) for treatment of seizures in patients ≥2 years old with Dravet syndrome who are also taking clobazam (Onfi). Stiripentol, which...

The FDA has approved an oral tablet formulation of sodium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, and potassium chloride (Sutab – Braintree) for colon cleansing prior to colonoscopy in adults. A...

The FDA has approved vericiguat (Verquvo – Merck), an oral soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, to reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure and cardiovascular (CV)...

Oliceridine (Olinvyk - Trevena), an IV opioid agonist, has been approved by the FDA for management of acute pain severe enough to require an opioid and for which alternative treatment...

Ashwagandha is an herb extracted from the roots of an evergreen shrub (Withania somnifera) found in India that has been used as a "tonic" for centuries. No specific constituent has been...

View the Comparison Table: Some Drugs for HFrEF

The FDA has approved lanadelumab-flyo (Takhzyro – Takeda), a subcutaneously-administered plasma kallikrein inhibitor, for prevention of hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks in adults and...

The FDA has approved a fixed-dose combination of pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and hyaluronidase (Phesgo – Genentech) for use in combination with chemotherapy for neoadjuvant (preoperative)...

The motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) are caused primarily by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The nonmotor symptoms of the disease are thought to be caused...

View the Comparison Table: Drugs for Parkinson's Disease

The FDA has approved Twirla (Agile Therapeutics), a transdermal contraceptive patch containing the estrogen ethinyl estradiol and the progestin levonorgestrel, for use in women with a BMI

The FDA has approved pitolisant (Wakix – Harmony), a histamine-3 (H₃)-receptor antagonist/inverse agonist, for treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) or cataplexy in...

The FDA has approved osilodrostat (Isturisa – Recordati), a cortisol synthesis inhibitor, for oral treatment of adults with Cushing's disease when surgical resection of the pituitary...

The FDA has approved the oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor avapritinib (Ayvakit – Blueprint Medicines) for treatment of unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs)...

The FDA has approved sacituzumab govitecan-hziy (Trodelvy – Immunomedics), a trophoblast cell-surface antigen-2 (Trop-2)-directed antibody and topoisomerase inhibitor conjugate, for...

On December 18, 2020, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Moderna mRNA-based vaccine for prevention of COVID-19 in persons ≥18 years old. The Pfizer-BioNTech...

Treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is usually empiric, with selected antibiotic regimens directed against some of the most common causative pathogens. Recommended empiric regimens...

The FDA has approved Semglee (Mylan), an insulin glargine product similar to Lantus, for treatment of type 1 diabetes in children and adults and type 2 diabetes in adults....

The FDA has approved the oral kinase inhibitor encorafenib (Braftovi – Pfizer), in combination with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor cetuximab (Erbitux), for...

The FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA-based vaccine for prevention of COVID-19 in persons ≥16 years old.

The oral polymerase acidic endonuclease inhibitor baloxavir marboxil (Xofluza — Genentech) is now FDAapproved for post-exposure prophylaxis of influenza in patients ≥12 years old....

The FDA has approved opicapone (Ongentys – Neurocrine), a peripherally-acting reversible catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor, for oral use as an adjunct to carbidopa/levodopa in...

The FDA has approved Gimoti (Evoke), a nasal spray formulation of the dopamine-2 (D₂) receptor antagonist metoclopramide, for relief of symptoms in adults with acute and...

A transdermal formulation of the second-generation (atypical) antipsychotic asenapine (Secuado – Noven) has been approved by the FDA for once-daily treatment of schizophrenia in adults....