The oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor baricitinib (Olumiant – Lilly) has been granted an FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for treatment of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in hospitalized patients ≥2 years old who require supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO); the EUA requires that baricitinib be used in combination with the IV antiviral drug remdesivir (Veklury). Baricitinib has been available for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis since 2018. Remdesivir was recently approved by the FDA for treatment of COVID-19 in...

The sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor empagliflozin (Jardiance – Boehringer Ingelheim/Lilly) is now FDA-approved to reduce the risk of sustained eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease, cardiovascular death, and hospitalization in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) at risk of progression. It is also approved to improve glycemic control in patients ≥10 years old with type 2 diabetes, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure (HF) in adults with HF, and to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death in adults with type...

Pediculosis capitis (head lice infestations) occur in all age groups, but especially in elementary school children. In most cases, transmission occurs by head-to-head contact. Pharmacologic treatment is recommended for persons with live lice or eggs (nits) within 1 cm of the scalp. Topical pediculicides should be tried first. Oral therapy is occasionally required for refractory infestations.

View the Comparison Table: Some Nasal Sprays for Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

The investigational oral antiviral drug molnupiravir (Merck/Ridgeback Biotherapeutics) was granted an FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) on December 23, 2021 for treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in outpatients ≥18 years old who are at high risk of progressing to severe disease, including hospitalization or death (see Table 1), and for whom alternative treatment options are not available or clinically appropriate. Paxlovid (Pfizer), nirmatrelvir copackaged with ritonavir, was granted an EUA on December 22, 2021. The IV antiviral drug remdesivir (Veklury) was approved by the...

The RAS GTPase family inhibitor adagrasib (Krazati – BMS), which received accelerated approval for treatment of KRAS G12C (glycine-to-cysteine mutation at codon 12)-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in 2022, has now received accelerated approval from the FDA for use with cetuximab for treatment of KRAS G12C-mutated locally advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) in adults who received prior fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy. Adagrasib is the first KRAS inhibitor to be approved in the US for treatment...

Marstacimab-hncq (Hympavzi – Pfizer), a tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) antagonist, has been approved by the FDA for routine prophylaxis to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in patients ≥12 years old who have hemophilia A without factor VIII inhibitors or hemophilia B without factor IX inhibitors. It is the first hemophilia treatment to be approved in the US that targets an inhibitor of coagulation and the first to become available in prefilled pens and syringes for subcutaneous administration.

View the Comparison Chart: Some Drugs for Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea (IBS-D)

Lecanemab-irmb (Leqembi – Biogen/Eisai), an IV amyloid beta-directed monoclonal antibody, has received accelerated approval from the FDA for treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The label states that treatment with Leqembi should be initiated in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia, the population in which the drug was initiated in clinical trials. Lecanemab is the second IV amyloid-beta directed monoclonal antibody to be approved for this indication; aducanumab (Aduhelm) was approved in 2021 and has the same restrictions on treatment...

The oral kinase inhibitor capivasertib (Truqap – AstraZeneca), a first-in-class AKT inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA for use in combination with the selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) fulvestrant (Faslodex, and generics) for treatment of hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer in adults with one or more PIK3CA/AKT1/PTEN-alterations who had disease progression on at least one endocrine-based regimen for metastatic disease or recurrence on or within 12 months of completing...