Modestly elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations have been associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. The recently published and heavily publicized results of the JUPITER trial will lead many patients to ask health care professionals whether they should have a CRP test to see if they should be taking a statin.

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide because cataract surgery is not available to most people in developing countries.

The FDA has approved a fixed-dose combination of meropenem, a carbapenem antibiotic, and vaborbactam, a new beta-lactamase inhibitor (Vabomere – Melinta), for IV treatment of adults with complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, or Enterobacter cloacae spp. complex. Meropenem (Merrem, and generics) has been approved for years for treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections, intra-abdominal infections, and bacterial meningitis. Resistance to meropenem and other...

The FDA has approved an adjuvanted, recombinant varicella zoster virus (VZV) vaccine (Shingrix – GSK) for prevention of herpes zoster (shingles) in adults ≥50 years old. Shingrix is the second herpes zoster vaccine to be approved in the US; Zostavax, a live-attenuated VZV vaccine approved for the same indication, has been available since 2006.

The FDA has approved the oral second-generation antipsychotic drug brexpiprazole (Rexulti – Otsuka/Lundbeck) for once-daily treatment of agitation associated with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Brexpiprazole is the first drug to be approved in the US for this indication. It is also approved for treatment of schizophrenia and as an adjunct to antidepressants for treatment of major depressive disorder.

Duloxetine hydrochloride (Cymbalta - Lilly), a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) available for treatment of depression, has also been approved by the FDA for treatment of neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Duloxetine is one of two drugs approved specifically for management of neuropathic pain due to diabetes; the other, pregabalin (Lyrica - Pfizer), will be marketed soon and will be reviewed in the next issue of The Medical Letter.

Canagliflozin (kan" a gli floe' zin; Invokana – Janssen), a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA for oral treatment of type 2 diabetes.

The FDA has approved a second extended-release (ER) formulation of the oral opioid agonist hydrocodone (Hysingla ER – Purdue) for management of pain severe enough to require continuous long-term therapy and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate. Hysingla ER tablets have abuse-deterrent properties to discourage their misuse.

The FDA has approved solriamfetol (Sunosi – Jazz), a dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (DNRI), to improve wakefulness in adults with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) associated with narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Pitolisant (Wakix), an H3-receptor antagonist/inverse agonist recently approved by the FDA for treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with narcolepsy, will be reviewed in a future issue.

The FDA has approved naloxegol (Movantik – AstraZeneca), a pegylated derivative of the opioid antagonist naloxone, for oral treatment of opioid-induced constipation in adults with chronic noncancer pain. It is the only oral opioid antagonist approved for this indication in the US.