View the Comparison Table: Some Drugs for Migraine Prevention in Adults

The FDA has approved the hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor (HIF-PHI) vadadustat (Vafseo – Akebia) for oral treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults who have been on dialysis for at least 3 months. Vadadustat is the second HIF-PHI to be approved in the US for this indication; daprodustat (Jesduvroq) was approved earlier, but it was withdrawn from the US market in 2024 for commercial reasons.

The interleukin (IL)-23 antagonist guselkumab (Tremfya – Janssen Biotech) has now been approved by the FDA for treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) in adults; it was approved earlier for treatment of plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Guselkumab is the third IL-23 antagonist to be approved in the US for treatment of UC; risankizumab (Skyrizi) and mirikizumab (Omvoh) were approved earlier.

The injectable interleukin (IL)-23 antagonist mirikizumab-mrkz (Omvoh – Lilly) is now FDA-approved for treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn's disease (CD) in adults. Mirikizumab was approved in 2023 for treatment of ulcerative colitis. Two other IL-23 antagonists, risankizumab (Skyrizi) and guselkumab (Tremfya), are also approved for treatment of CD.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder that has been diagnosed in up to 10% of school-age children in the US and frequently persists into adulthood. A study in a large Danish cohort found that ADHD was associated with higher mortality rates in children, adolescents, and adults, mainly due to accidents. Pharmacologic treatment of ADHD in children has been reported to decrease the risk of substance abuse in adolescents, and use of ADHD medications in adults has been associated with a reduced risk of serious traffic accidents and...

The main goals of treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are to relieve symptoms, reduce the frequency and severity of exacerbations, prevent disease progression, and reduce mortality. GOLD (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease) guidelines for treatment of COPD were updated recently. Treatment of acute exacerbations is not discussed here. Drugs available for treatment of COPD are listed in Tables 1 and 3.

Pregnant women now often receive promotional material from private cord blood banks urging them to save and store their babies' cord blood.

The Medical Letter reported last year that sildenafil (Viagra - Pfizer) appeared to be effective for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but confirmation from a controlled trial was needed. Now the results of such a study are about to be published, and the drug has been approved by the FDA for this indication under the trade name Revatio.

Pregabalin (Lyrica - Pfizer), a structural analog of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) similar to gabapentin (Neurontin - Pfizer, and others), which recently became available generically, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of neuropathic pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), and for adjunctive treatment of partial onset seizures in adults with epilepsy.

A transdermal patch formulation of methylphenidate (Daytrana - Noven/Shire) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in patients ≥ 6 years old. Like other methylphenidate products, the patch is a schedule II controlled substance. According to the manufacturer, it will be available in pharmacies by the end of June.