The FDA has approved Triumeq (Viiv Healthcare), a fixed-dose combination of the integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) dolutegravir and the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) abacavir and lamivudine, for once-daily treatment of HIV-1 infection. Dolutegravir (Tivicay) was approved as a single agent in 2013.

The FDA has approved a sublingual tablet (Nocdurna – Ferring) and a nasal spray (Noctiva – Avadel) formulation of desmopressin acetate for treatment of nocturia due to nocturnal polyuria in adults who wake up ≥2 times per night to void. Nocdurna and Noctiva are the first two products to be approved in the US for this indication. Higher-strength nasal spray and oral tablet formulations of desmopressin (DDAVP, and others) have been available for years for treatment of diabetes insipidus and primary nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting in children). In 2007, the indication for primary...

Aliskiren (Tekturna - Novartis), the first direct renin inhibitor for treatment of hypertension, has been approved for use in a fixed-dose combination with the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (Tekturna HCT - Novartis). Many angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) are also available in fixed-dose combinations with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ).

The FDA has approved infliximab-dyyb (Inflectra – Pfizer; marketed as Remsima in some countries), as a biosimilar of the TNF inhibitor infliximab (Remicade). Infliximab-dyyb was approved in the European Union (EU) in 2013 and in Canada in 2014. It is the second biosimilar to be approved by the FDA. Filgastrim-sndz (Zarxio), a recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, was the first.

The FDA has approved lofexidine (Lucemyra – US WorldMeds/Salix), a centrally acting alpha₂ receptor agonist, to manage withdrawal symptoms in adults abruptly stopping opioid use. Available in the UK since 1992, lofexidine is the first nonopioid to be approved in the US for management of opioid withdrawal symptoms. Clonidine (Catapres, and generics), another central alpha₂ receptor agonist, has been used off-label for this indication for many years.

View the Table: Some Drugs for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Primary hypothyroidism is usually the result of Hashimoto's thyroiditis, thyroidectomy for hyperthyroidism, goiter or cancer, or radioactive iodine therapy for hyperthyroidism.

Bexagliflozin (Brenzavvy – TheracosBio), a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes. It is the fifth SGLT2 inhibitor to be approved in the US for this indication (see Table 4).

The drugs of choice for treatment of fungal infections are listed in the table that begins on page 62. Some of the indications and dosages recommended here have not been approved by the FDA. More detailed guidelines for some of these infections are available online from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (www.idsociety.org).

Doxacurium (Nuromax - Burroughs Wellcome), a new, long-acting, nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agent, is now available in the USA for use as a skeletal muscle relaxant during general anesthesia and for endotracheal intubation. Although small decreases in heart rate and mean arterial pressure occur in some patients who receive doxacurium, clinical studies have found no adverse cardiovascular effects in patients with heart disease receiving up to three times the usual effective dose (CM Stoops et al, Anesthesiology, 69:365, 1988; DJ Murray et al, Anesthesiology, 69:472, 1988; RS...