Febuxostat (Uloric - Takeda), a xanthine oxidase inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA for chronic management of hyperuricemia in patients with gout. It is the first drug marketed for treatment of gout in 40 years. Febuxostat is structurally unrelated to allopurinol, the only other commercially available inhibitor of xanthine oxidase. Xanthine oxidase inhibitors decrease serum urate concentrations by decreasing urate synthesis.

The FDA has approved mavacamten (Camzyos – MyoKardia/BMS), a modulator of cardiac myosin, to improve functional capacity and symptoms in adults with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II or III obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) who have a baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥55%. Mavacamten is the first drug in its class to become available in the US.

The injectable interleukin (IL)-23 antagonist risankizumab-rzaa (Skyrizi – Abbvie) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn's disease (CD) in adults. Risankizumab was approved earlier for treatment of plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Epirubicin, an analog of doxorubicin that has been available in Europe and Canada for 15 years, has now been approved by the FDA for adjuvant use after resection of the primary tumor in breast cancer patients with axillary node involvement.

A patch formulation of oxybutynin (Oxytrol - Watson) is now available for treatment of overactive bladder. It is claimed to be as effective as the oral drug, with less dry mouth.

An injectable gel of hyaluronic acid (Restylane) has been approved by the FDA for correction of moderate to severe facial wrinkles and folds, such as nasolabial folds. Manufactured by Q-Med AB, a Swedish company, it has been used outside the US since 1996.

An intraveneous (IV) formulation of ibuprofen (Caldolor - Cumberland) was recently approved by the FDA for use in adults. It can be administered alone for treatment of mild to moderate pain or as an adjunct to opioid analgesics for moderate to severe pain. It is also approved for reduction of fever.

The most recent guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and its European counterpart on the choice of antimicrobials for treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in non-pregnant women focus on the unnecessary use of fluoroquinolones to treat uropathogens that are increasingly becoming resistant to them. Resistance of Escherichia coli to ciprofloxacin in the US has increased from 3% in 2000 to 17.1% in 2010.

The FDA has approved 2 oral drugs for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Pirfenidone (Esbriet) has been available in Europe since 2011 and in Canada since 2012. Nintedanib (Ofev) is available only in the US.

The FDA has approved droxidopa (Northera – Lundbeck) for oral treatment of adults with symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH) caused by primary autonomic failure (Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy, or pure autonomic failure), dopamine beta-hydroxylase deficiency, or nondiabetic autonomic neuropathy. This is the first approval for droxidopa in the US. It has been available in Japan for use in NOH since 1989.