Remdesivir (Veklury – Gilead), an investigational antiviral drug administered by IV infusion, is now available through an FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for treatment of COVID-19 in all hospitalized patients. An earlier EUA limited use of the drug to patients hospitalized with severe disease.

The sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor empagliflozin (Jardiance – Boehringer Ingelheim) was approved by the FDA in 2021 to reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure (HF) and cardiovascular death in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF; LVEF ≤40%), regardless of whether or not they have type 2 diabetes. The indication has now been expanded to include patients with HF with any ejection fraction. Empagliflozin is the first SGLT2 inhibitor to be approved in the US for this indication.

The FDA has approved Furoscix (scPharmaceuticals), a subcutaneous formulation of the loop diuretic furosemide administered via a single-use, on-body infusor, for treatment of congestion due to fluid overload in adults with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II-III chronic heart failure (HF). Furosemide (Lasix, and generics) has been available for years in oral and IV formulations.

The interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor antagonist tocilizumab (Actemra – Genentech) has been approved by the FDA for IV treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized adults who are receiving a systemic corticosteroid and require supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Tocilizumab was previously available for this indication under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA); it remains available under an EUA for treatment of children 2-17 years old who are hospitalized with COVID-19 and require oxygen support.

Nadofaragene firadenovec-vncg (Adstiladrin – Ferring), an adenoviral vector-based gene therapy, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of adults with high-risk Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ with or without papillary tumors. It is the first adenoviral vector-based gene therapy to be approved in the US for this indication. The immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) was approved for the same indication in 2021.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), as of April 24 there have been 844 confirmed cases of measles in the US in 2025; 11% of cases have resulted in hospitalization and 3 patients have died. The majority of cases (96%) have been in unvaccinated persons or in those whose vaccination history was unknown

Most patients with diabetes mellitus now test their own blood glucose. In recent years, meters commercially available for self-testing have become smaller and easier to use.

Systemic allergic reactions to insect stings can include generalized urticaria, bronchospasm, laryngeal edema, hypotension and death. About 1% to 3% of adults in the USA have had a systemic allergic reaction to an insect sting (RE Reisman, Med Clin North Am, 76:883, 1992; UR M ller, Monogr Allergy, 31:131, 1993).

Calcipotriene ointment 0.005% (calcipotriol; Dovonex - Westwood Squibb), a synthetic vitamin D 3 analog previously available in Europe and Canada, has now been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of moderate plaque psoriasis, the most common form of the disease.

Patients may be asking their physicians about use of histamine H2-receptor antagonists for treatment and prevention of heartburn. Cimetidine and famotidine have recently been released for over-the-counter sale and are being heavily advertised on television and in the print media.