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.

Initial treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) depends on the severity of symptoms and whether they are intermittent or persistent (see Table 1).

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.

The FDA has approved the interleukin (IL)-23 antagonist risankizumab-rzaa (Skyrizi – Abbvie) for treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults. Risankizumab is the third IL-23 antagonist to be approved for this indication; guselkumab (Tremfya) and tildrakizumab (Ilumya) were approved earlier.

Ocrevus Zunovo (Genentech), a subcutaneous (SC) formulation of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody ocrelizumab plus human recombinant hyaluronidase-ocsq has been approved by the FDA for treatment of primary progressive and relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Intravenous ocrelizumab (Ocrevus), which was approved for the same indications in 2017, is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for treatment of MS. Ocrelizumab remains the only drug approved for treatment of primary progressive MS.

The FDA has approved the interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor antagonist tocilizumab (Actemra – Genentech) for subcutaneous (SC) treatment of giant cell arteritis in adults. It is the first drug to be approved in the US for this indication. Tocilizumab is also approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, polyarticular or systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and cytokine release syndrome.

The FDA has approved the use of ustekinumab (Stelara - Centocor Ortho Biotech), an interleukin antagonist given by subcutaneous (SC) injection for treatment of adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. It is the first agent in its class for this indication; the other biologic agents for psoriasis are Tcell or tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors.

RabAvert (Chiron), a new human rabies vaccine prepared in purified chick embryo cell culture (PCEC), has been marketed in the USA for pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis. It is available in other countries as Rabipur. Human rabies is rare in the United States, but thousands of people receive post-exposure prophylaxis every year (DL Noah et al, Ann Intern Med, 128:922, June 1, 1998).

The recombinant interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonist anakinra (Kineret – Sobi) has been granted an FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for treatment of hospitalized adults with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia who require low- or high-flow supplemental oxygen, are at risk of progressing to severe respiratory failure, and are likely to have elevated plasma levels of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR). Anakinra has been available in the US for years; it is FDA-approved for multiple indications, including rheumatoid arthritis. Assays for suPAR are...