Trofinetide (Daybue – Acadia), a synthetic analog of glycine-proline-glutamate, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of Rett syndrome in patients ≥2 years old. It is the first drug to be approved in the US for treatment of Rett syndrome.

The FDA has approved the subcutaneously injected interleukin (IL)-4 receptor alpha antagonist dupilumab (Dupixent – Sanofi/Regeneron) for add-on maintenance treatment of adults with inadequately controlled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and an eosinophilic phenotype. Dupilumab is the first biologic drug to be approved in the US for this indication. It has been available for years for treatment of asthma, atopic dermatitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, eosinophilic esophagitis, and prurigo nodularis.

Mepolizumab (Nucala – GSK), a subcutaneously injected interleukin-5 (IL-5) antagonist, has been approved by the FDA for add-on maintenance treatment of adults who have inadequately controlled chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with an eosinophilic phenotype. Mepolizumab is also approved for treatment of asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and hypereosinophilic syndrome.

The FDA has approved remibrutinib (Rhapsido – Novartis), an oral Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, for treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria in adults who remain symptomatic despite H₁-antihistamine treatment. Remibrutinib is the first oral drug to be approved in the US for this indication.

Saxagliptin (Onglyza - Bristol-Myers Squibb), the second oral dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor to be marketed in the US, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes.

Lefamulin (Xenleta – Nabriva), a semisynthetic pleuromutilin antibiotic, has been approved by the FDA for IV and oral treatment of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) in adults. It is the first systemic pleuromutilin antibiotic to be approved in the US; retapamulin (Altabax), a 1% topical ointment for treatment of impetigo, was approved in 2007.

Pimecrolimus 1% cream (pim e kroe' limus; SDZ ASM 981; Elidel - Novartis) has been approved by the FDA for short-term and intermittent long-term treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in non-immunocompromised patients at least 2 years old.

Ramucirumab (Cyramza – Lilly), a monoclonal antibody that inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), has been approved by the FDA for use as monotherapy or in combination with paclitaxel for treatment of advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma that has progressed on or after platinum- or fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy. Ramucirumab is also approved for use in combination with docetaxel (Taxotere, and others) for treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer that has progressed on or after platinum-based...

The FDA has approved plecanatide (Trulance – Synergy), a guanylate cyclase-C receptor agonist, for treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in adults. Linaclotide (Linzess), another guanylate cyclase-C receptor agonist, and lubiprostone (Amitiza), a chloride channel activator, were approved earlier for treatment of CIC in adults.

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...