The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has recently concluded that available evidence is insufficient to assess the balance between potential benefits and harms of using the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) to screen men < 75 years old for prostate cancer and has recommended against screening men > 75 years old.

Primary hypothyroidism is usually the result of Hashimoto's (autoimmune) thyroiditis, thyroidectomy, or radioactive iodine therapy. Treatment of hypothyroidism with replacement doses of thyroid hormone is usually lifelong. Levothyroxine (LT4; synthetic thyroxine; Synthroid, and others) is the drug of choice.1

The interleukin (IL)-23 antagonist guselkumab (Tremfya – Janssen Biotech) has now been approved by the FDA for treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) in adults; it was approved earlier for treatment of plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Guselkumab is the third IL-23 antagonist to be approved in the US for treatment of UC; risankizumab (Skyrizi) and mirikizumab (Omvoh) were approved earlier.

Rasagiline (Azilect - Teva), a monoamine oxidase-type B (MAO-B) inhibitor, was recently approved by the FDA for once-daily oral treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). It can be taken alone for treatment of early disease or with levodopa/carbidopa (Sinemet, and others) for advanced disease. Selegiline (Eldepryl, and others), the first MAO-B inhibitor marketed in the US, has been available since 1988; a new lower-dose disintegrating tablet (Zelapar) was recently approved.

The FDA has approved lesinurad (Zurampic – Ironwood), a uric acid transporter 1 (URAT1) inhibitor, for adjunctive treatment of gout-associated hyperuricemia in patients whose serum uric acid levels fail to reach goal with xanthine oxidase inhibitor monotherapy.

The FDA has approved an auto-injector formulation of testosterone enanthate (Xyosted – Antares Pharma) for once-weekly subcutaneous self-administration in adult males with conditions associated with a deficiency or absence of endogenous testosterone. It is the first subcutaneous formulation of testosterone to be approved by the FDA. Xyosted is contraindicated for treatment of low testosterone levels associated with aging.

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 sensitivity testing can guide treatment, allowing for use of narrower-spectrum antibiotics. The recommended dosages and durations of antibiotic treatment for common respiratory, skin, and urinary tract infections are listed in Tables 1-3. Infectious disease experts now recommend shorter treatment durations for many infections to reduce the development of antimicrobial resistance and minimize adverse...

An oral solution (Vituz – Hawthorne) containing two old drugs, the centrally-acting opioid hydrocodone bitartrate and the first-generation H1-antihistamine chlorpheniramine maleate, has been approved by the FDA for relief of cough and [other] symptoms associated with upper respiratory allergies or a common cold in adults. Several extended-release products containing hydrocodone and chlorpheniramine are available as capsules and suspensions and have been used for years for similar indications. Vituz is classified as a schedule III controlled substance, but the FDA has asked the DEA...

The FDA has approved the subcutaneously injected PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9) inhibitor alirocumab (Praluent – Sanofi/Regeneron) as an adjunct to diet and maximally tolerated statin therapy for adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) or clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who require additional lowering of LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C). It was not approved for general use in statin-intolerant patients. Alirocumab is the first PCSK9 inhibitor to be approved in the US. Evolocumab (Repatha – Amgen), another PCSK9 inhibitor, was...

The FDA has approved cangrelor (Kengreal – The Medicines Company), an IV P2Y12 platelet inhibitor, as an adjunct to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients who have not been pretreated with a P2Y12 inhibitor and are not being given a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor.