The FDA has approved axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta – Kite) for treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory CD19+ large B-cell lymphoma after ≥2 lines of systemic therapy. Yescarta is an individualized cellular product prepared from the patient's own T cells, which are genetically modified to express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) and then infused back into the patient. It is the second CAR T-cell immunotherapy to become available in the US. Tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah), a CAR T-cell product previously approved for treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell...

Teprotumumab-trbw (Tepezza - Horizon), an insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA for IV treatment of thyroid eye disease. It is the first drug to be approved in the US for this indication.

The FDA has approved lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi – BMS) for treatment of adults with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified, high-grade B-cell lymphoma, primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, or follicular lymphoma grade 3B who have disease refractory to first-line chemoimmunotherapy, relapsed within 12 months of or after first-line chemoimmunotherapy, are not eligible for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation due to comorbidities or age, or have relapsed or refractory disease after ≥2 lines of...

View Expanded Table: Some Biologic Drugs and JAK Inhibitors for Rheumatoid Arthritis

The FDA has approved the interleukin-1 (IL-1) beta inhibitor canakinumab (Ilaris – Novartis) for treatment of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA; formerly called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or Still’s disease) in children ≥2 years old. Canakinumab was approved earlier for treatment of cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS). Tocilizumab (Actemra), an interleukin-6 (IL-6) inhibitor that has been available since 2010 for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in adults, was also recently approved by the FDA for sJIA. Canakinumab is the only IL-1 inhibitor approved...

The FDA has approved the interleukin (IL)-6 inhibitor sarilumab (Kevzara – Sanofi/Regeneron) for treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) in adults who had an inadequate response to corticosteroids or cannot tolerate a corticosteroid taper. Sarilumab is the first biologic drug to be approved for treatment of PMR; it was previously approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

The FDA has approved tofacitinib (toe” fa sye’ ti nib; Xeljanz – Pfizer), an oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, for treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response to or are intolerant of methotrexate. Ruxolitinib (Jakafi) is the only other JAK inhibitor available in the US; it is FDA-approved for treatment of myelofibrosis.

The FDA has approved tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah — Novartis), an individualized, genetically-modified cellular product, for treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in patients ≤25 years old. The patient's own T cells are genetically modified to express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) and then reinfused. Kymriah is the first CAR T-cell immunotherapy to become available in the US. A CAR T-cell product for B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is expected to be approved soon.

The FDA has approved idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma – BMS), a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed genetically-modified cellular product, for treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma in adults who received ≥4 prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory drug, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. Abecma is an individualized cellular product prepared from the patient’s own T cells, which are genetically modified to express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) and then infused back into the patient. Ciltacabtagene autoleucel...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is prevalent in 0.5% of adults in the US; it is about 2.5 times more common in women than in men. Guidelines for treatment of RA from the American College of Rheumatology were recently updated. The goal of treatment is to minimize disease activity and prevent irreversible joint damage.