Superseded by The Medical Letter "Antiviral Drugs for Influenza" - Issue 1589, January 13, 2020Antiviral drugs can be used for prophylaxis and treatment of influenza. Frequently updated...

The FDA has approved Basaglar (Lilly/Boehringer Ingelheim), a "follow-on" 100 units/mL insulin glargine product similar to Lantus (Sanofi), which recently went off patent. A 300...

The FDA has approved the human interleukin (IL)-12 and -23 antagonist ustekinumab (Stelara – Janssen Biotech) for treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn's disease in adults who...

The FDA has approved tenofovir alafenamide (Vemlidy – Gilead) for treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in adults with compensated liver disease. It is the first...

Superseded by The Medical Letter "Drugs for Type 2 Diabetes" - Issue 1584, November 4, 2019The goal of drug therapy for type 2 diabetes is to achieve and maintain a near-normal...

The FDA has approved lixisenatide (Sanofi), a short-acting injectable GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist, for once-daily treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes, both alone...

The FDA has approved the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda – Merck), a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) inhibitor, for first-line treatment of patients with...

The FDA has approved infliximab-dyyb (Inflectra – Pfizer; marketed as Remsima in some countries), as a biosimilar of the TNF inhibitor infliximab...

The FDA has approved Yosprala (Aralez), a fixed-dose combination of delayed-release aspirin and immediate-release omeprazole, for secondary prevention of cardiovascular and...

The results of a recently published study suggest that taking the oral direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran etexilate (Pradaxa) with either simvastatin (Zocor, and others) or...

Drugs for Diabetes (Med Lett Drugs Ther 2017; 59:9)In the 4th paragraph of the GLP-1 receptor agonists section, we mistakenly stated that Xultophy 100/3.6 is a combination...

View the Comparison Table: SGLT2 Inhibitors

An oral nonopioid analgesic may be sufficient for treatment of mild to moderate migraine without severe nausea or vomiting. A triptan is the drug of choice for treatment of moderate to severe...

View the Comparison Table: Triptans for Migraine

View the Comparison Table: Some Drugs for Migraine Prevention in Adults

Auvi-Q (Kaléo; previously manufactured and marketed by Sanofi), the epinephrine auto-injector approved by the FDA in 2012 for emergency treatment of anaphylaxis and voluntarily withdrawn...

The FDA has approved crisaborole 2% ointment (Eucrisa – Pfizer) for topical treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in patients ≥2 years old. It is the first phosphodiesterase...

With the widespread adoption of the CHA₂DS₂-VASc scoring system, oral anticoagulation therapy is now recommended for all patients ≥75 years old with nonvalvular atrial...

The FDA has approved extended-release (ER) calcifediol (25-hydroxyvitamin D3; Rayaldee – Opko), a prohormone of calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D3. It is indicated for treatment...

The FDA has approved Kyleena (Bayer), an intrauterine device (IUD) that releases the synthetic progestin levonorgestrel, for prevention of pregnancy. It is the fourth...

The antiplatelet drug clopidogrel (Plavix, and others) reduces major cardiovascular events, but can cause bleeding. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are often used with clopidogrel to prevent...

The FDA has approved the immune checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq – Genentech) for treatment of locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma and metastatic non-small...

Superseded by The Medical Letter "Drugs for Hypertension" - Issue 1598, May 18, 2020in the US and their dosages, adverse effects, and costs are listed in the tables. Treatment of...

The FDA has approved the fully human monoclonal antibody bezlotoxumab (Zinplava – Merck) for use with antibacterial drug treatment to reduce recurrence of Clostridium difficile...

The FDA has approved nusinersen (Spinraza – Biogen) for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a hereditary neurodegenerative disease that occurs in about one in every 10,000...

The FDA has approved use of Exablate Neuro (Insightec) for unilateral thalamotomy to treat medication-refractory essential tremor in patients ≥22 years old. Exablate Neuro uses...

Obeticholic acid (Ocaliva – Intercept), a farnesoid X receptor agonist, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of primary biliary cholangitis; it is indicated for use in combination...

The FDA has approved ferric pyrophosphate citrate solution (Triferic – Rockwell Medical) to maintain hemoglobin concentrations in adults with hemodialysis-dependent chronic kidney...

View the Inhibitors and Inducers of CYP Enzymes and P-Glycoprotein table

The main goals of treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are to relieve symptoms, reduce the frequency and severity of exacerbations, and prevent disease progression. Updated...

View the Comparison Table: Inhaled Short-Acting Bronchodilators for COPD

View the Comparison Table: Inhaled Long-Acting Bronchodilators for COPD

View the Comparison Table: Some Inhaled Corticosteroids for COPD

View the Table: Correct Use of Inhalers for COPD

The results of the recently published FOURIER trial have shown a reduction in cardiovascular events with addition of the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab (Repatha) to statin therapy in patients...

The FDA has approved dupilumab (Dupixent – Sanofi/Regeneron), a subcutaneously-injected fully human monoclonal antibody, for treatment of adults with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis...

The FDA has approved plecanatide (Trulance – Synergy), a guanylate cyclase-C receptor agonist, for treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in adults. Linaclotide...

The FDA has approved Arymo ER (Egalet), a new extended-release, abuse-deterrent tablet formulation of morphine sulfate, for management of pain severe enough to require daily,...

The 2017 adult immunization schedule approved by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) includes some new or revised recommendations.1 The complete schedule is available on...

The FDA has warned that eluxadoline (Viberzi – Allergan), a mu-opioid receptor agonist and delta-opioid receptor antagonist approved in 2015 for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with...

The nasal spray formulation of the corticosteroid fluticasone furoate is now available over the counter (OTC) as Flonase Sensimist Allergy Relief (GSK) in the same strength as the...

Allergic rhinitis can be classified as seasonal, perennial, or episodic. It is often associated with allergic conjunctivitis, rhinosinusitis, and asthma. H₁-ANTIHISTAMINES — Oral –...

View the Comparison Table: Some Oral Drugs for Allergic Rhinitis

View the Comparison Table: Some Nasal Sprays for Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

View the Comparison Table: Some Topical Corticosteroids

Per capita spending on prescription drugs in the US is higher than in other industrialized nations, including Canada.

The FDA has approved valbenazine (Ingrezza – Neurocrine Biosciences), a vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitor, for treatment of tardive dyskinesia in adults. It is the...

The FDA has approved the selective alpha_1A-adrenergic receptor agonist oxymetazoline as a 1% cream (Rhofade – Allergan) for topical treatment of persistent facial erythema of...

The FDA has issued new warnings about the use of the opioid analgesics codeine and tramadol in children, particularly those

The FDA has approved a subcutaneously administered 20% solution of human immune globulin (Cuvitru – Shire) for replacement therapy in patients ≥2 years old with a primary humoral...

The FDA has approved intravenously administered recombinant von Willebrand factor (Vonvendi - Shire) for adults with von Willebrand disease (VWD) who require on-demand treatment and...

View the Comparison Table: Some Topical Drugs for Rosacea

Opioid use disorder is a chronic, relapsing disease with both physical and psychiatric components. It is associated with economic hardship, social isolation, incarceration, increased rates of...

Development of abuse-deterrent opioid products, including reformulation of existing products, has become a priority for drug manufacturers and public health advocates. Since our last article...

View Comparison Table: Some Drugs for Maintenance Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder

The FDA has approved abaloparatide (Tymlos – Radius Health), a synthetic analog of human parathyroid hormone related peptide, for treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis...

The FDA has approved ocrelizumab (Ocrevus – Genentech), a humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, for treatment of adults with primary progressive or relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS)....

The FDA has approved an effervescent tablet formulation of acetylcysteine (Cetylev – Arbor) to prevent or lessen hepatic injury after acetaminophen overdose. Acetylcysteine has been...

The FDA has approved the Obalon Balloon System (Obalon), a swallowable intragastric gas-filled balloon device, to facilitate weight loss in adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30-40...

The FDA has approved the ophthalmic solutions riboflavin 5'-phosphate in 20% dextran (Photrexa Viscous – Avedro) and riboflavin 5'-phosphate alone (Photrexa) for use with...

Superseded by The Medical Letter "Comparison Table: Some Drugs for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis (online only)" - Issue 1536, December 18, 2017View the Comparison Table: Drugs for...

The text and tables that follow include recommendations for management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) other than HIV and viral hepatitis. Some of the indications and dosages...

About 50% of the world’s population is infected with Helicobacter pylori. These gastric bacteria can cause chronic inflammation and have been associated with development of gastritis,...

The FDA has approved brodalumab (Siliq – Valeant), an injectable human interleukin (IL)-17A receptor antagonist, for treatment of adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who have...

The FDA has approved telotristat ethyl (Xermelo – Lexicon), a tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor, for use in combination with a somatostatin analog (SSA) for treatment of carcinoid...

The FDA has approved the fully-human programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) blocking antibody avelumab (Bavencio – EMD Serono/Pfizer) for treatment of metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) in...

Treatment of epilepsy should begin with a single antiepileptic drug (AED), increasing its dosage gradually until seizures are controlled or adverse effects become intolerable. If seizures...

View the Comparison Table: Some Oral Antiepileptic Drugs

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which are used for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and for prevention of upper gastrointestinal adverse effects caused by NSAIDs and aspirin,...

The FDA has approved the interleukin (IL)-6 inhibitor sarilumab (Kevzara – Sanofi) for second-line treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is...

For many years, the goal of drug therapy for most patients with type 2 diabetes has been to achieve and maintain an A1C of

Olaratumab (Lartruvo – Lilly), a platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFR-α) blocking monoclonal antibody, has received accelerated approval from the FDA for use in combination...

The FDA has approved the oral multikinase inhibitor midostaurin (Rydapt – Novartis) for first-line treatment, in addition to standard chemotherapy, of adults with FLT3 (fms-like tyrosine...

The goal of asthma treatment is to control symptoms and prevent exacerbations. Management of acute exacerbations of asthma is not discussed here.

View the Comparison Table: Some Inhaled Drugs for Treatment of Asthma

View the Comparison Table: Correct Use of Inhalers

The FDA has approved Xultophy 100/3.6 (Novo Nordisk), a fixed-ratio combination of insulin degludec and the GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist liraglutide, for once-daily...

The FDA has approved the steroid prasterone (Intrarosa – Endoceutics) for intravaginal treatment of postmenopausal women with moderate-to-severe dyspareunia due to vulvovaginal atrophy...

The FDA has approved the monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) inhibitor safinamide (Xadago – US Worldmeds) as an adjunct to levodopa/carbidopa for management of "off" episodes in patients...

Deflazacort (Emflaza – PTC Therapeutics), an oral corticosteroid, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in patients ≥5 years old. It has been...

In Table 3 on page 116 (Med Lett Drugs Ther 2017; 59:113), the price provided for Prevpac was for a 14-day supply, rather than for a 10-day supply as stated in footnote 1. The footnote has...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, but cognitive loss is also associated with other neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies,...

The FDA has approved the interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor antagonist tocilizumab (Actemra – Genentech) for subcutaneous (SC) treatment of giant cell arteritis in adults. It is the first...

View the Comparison Table: Drugs for Alzheimer's Disease

Superseded by The Medical Letter "Influenza Vaccine for 2019-2020" - Issue 1583, October 21, 2019Routine annual vaccination against influenza A and B viruses is recommended for everyone...

The FDA has approved Mavyret (Abbvie) and Vosevi (Gilead), two new fixed-dose combinations of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) drugs, for treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)...

Pancreatic enzyme replacement products have been used for years to improve digestion in patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). These products were initially marketed before formal...

Bacterial infections in adults are generally treated empirically, with the antibiotic covering most, but not all, of the potential causative pathogens. For some infections, culture and...

The FDA has approved tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah — Novartis), an individualized, genetically-modified cellular product, for treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute...

In our article on Drugs for Cognitive Loss and Dementia (Med Lett Drugs Ther 2017; 59:155), the last sentence at the end of the article should have been omitted. It has been deleted from the...

The oral cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor ribociclib (Kisqali – Novartis) has been approved by the FDA for use in combination with an aromatase inhibitor for first-line...

The FDA has approved the interleukin (IL)-23 blocker guselkumab (Tremfya – Janssen) for treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy...

The FDA has approved edaravone (Radicava – Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma) for treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It is the second drug to be approved in the US for this...

The FDA has approved Duzallo (Ironwood), a fixed-dose combination of the uric acid transporter 1 (URAT1) inhibitor lesinurad (Zurampic) and the xanthine oxidase inhibitor...

The FDA has approved an extended-release orally disintegrating tablet formulation of methylphenidate (Cotempla XR-ODT – Neos Therapeutics) for once-daily treatment of attention-defi...

The FDA has approved abemaciclib (Verzenio – Lilly), an oral cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor, for treatment of hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor...

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 an adjuvanted, recombinant varicella zoster virus (VZV) vaccine (Shingrix – GSK) for prevention of herpes zoster (shingles) in adults ≥50 years old....

The FDA has approved the opioid receptor antagonist naldemedine (Symproic – Shionogi) for treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adults with chronic noncancer pain....

The FDA has approved an extended-release (ER) capsule formulation of amantadine (Gocovri – Adamas) for once-daily treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in patients with...

Three oral poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have been approved by the FDA for treatment of advanced, recurrent ovarian cancer. Olaparib (Lynparza – AstraZeneca), niraparib...

Superseded by The Medical Letter "Drugs for Hypertension" - Issue 1598, May 18, 2020New US guidelines for the treatment of hypertension have recently been published.1Probably the most...

The FDA has approved avelumab (Bavencio – EMD Serono) and durvalumab (Imfinzi – AstraZeneca), two new immune check point inhibitors, and pembrolizumab (Keytruda –...

Diagnosis of osteoporosis is based on the results of bone mineral density (BMD) testing or by the occurrence of a fragility fracture. Bone densitometry results are generally reported in terms of...

View the Comparison Table: Drugs for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

View the 2017 Annual Index