The FDA has granted accelerated approval to copanlisib (Aliqopa – Bayer), an intravenously administered phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, for treatment of adults with relapsed follicular lymphoma who have received at least two prior systemic therapies. Follicular lymphoma is a common subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Copanlisib is the second PI3K inhibitor to be approved for this indication; idelalisib (Zydelig), which is administered orally twice daily, was the first.

The FDA has approved a 6% otic suspension formulation of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin (Otiprio – Otonomy) for single-dose treatment of acute otitis externa (swimmer's ear) caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus in patients ≥6 months old. Otiprio was approved earlier for prophylaxis in children with bilateral otitis media with effusion who are undergoing tympanostomy tube placement.

The FDA has approved Trijardy XR (Boehringer Ingelheim/Lilly), a fixed-dose combination of the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor empagliflozin, the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor linagliptin, and extended-release metformin, for oral treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults. Empagliflozin and linagliptin have been available in a fixed-dose combination as Glyxambi since 2015, and both have been available in 2-drug combinations with extended-release metformin for years (see Table 1).

In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor empagliflozin (Jardiance – Boehringer Ingelheim/Lilly) reduced the composite risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for worsening heart failure (HF) in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), whether or not they had type 2 diabetes. To date, empagliflozin has not been approved by the FDA for such use. The SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin (Farxiga) was approved by the FDA for this indication earlier this year.

The B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS)-specific inhibitor belimumab (Benlysta – GSK), which was approved earlier for treatment of active, autoantibody-positive, nonrenal, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), has now been approved for use in addition to standard therapy for treatment of active lupus nephritis in adults. Belimumab is the first drug to be approved in the US for treatment of both SLE and lupus nephritis.

The FDA recently approved axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta – Kite), a CD19-directed genetically modified cellular product, for treatment of large B-cell lymphoma that is refractory to first-line chemoimmunotherapy or that relapses within 12 months of first-line treatment. It was previously approved for treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma after ≥2 lines of systemic therapy and for treatment of relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma after ≥2 lines of systemic therapy. Yescarta is an individualized cellular product prepared from the patient's own T cells,...

Three extended-release injectable formulations of second-generation antipsychotic drugs — two of risperidone (Rykindo, Uzedy) and one of aripiprazole (Abilify Asimtufii) — have been approved by the FDA for treatment of schizophrenia in adults. Rykindo and Abilify Asimtufii are also approved for maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder in adults. Other extended-release injectable formulations of risperidone and aripiprazole have been available in the US for years (see Table 1).

Linvoseltamab (Lynozyfic – Regeneron), a bispecific B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed CD3 T-cell engager, has received accelerated approval from the FDA for intravenous treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma in adults who had received ≥4 prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory drug, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. Accelerated approval was based on the response rate and durability of response. Linvoseltamab is the third bispecific BCMA-directed CD3 T-cell engager to be approved for this indication; teclistamab...

The surprising observation that oral administration of the beta-blocker propranolol (Inderal, and others) can stop the growth and rapidly cause the involution of disfiguring or life-threatening infantile hemangiomas1 has quickly led to a series of confirmatory observations and now a controlled trial. The mechanism of this effect is not known, but is thought to be related to down-regulation of the RAF mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway resulting in inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and apoptosis in capillary endothelial cells. The response of infantile...

Masoprocol cream 10% (meso-nordihydroguiaretic acid, Actinex - Reed and Carnrick) is now available in the USA for topical treatment of actinic keratoses.