View Table 3: Some Drug Interactions with DAAs for HCV Infection

View Figure 1: Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Treatment-Naive Adults

The CDC has issued a recommendation for use of a single dose of doxycycline for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs), specifically syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea, in men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) who had a bacterial STI within the previous 12 months.

The FDA has approved Apretude (ViiV Healthcare), an IM extended-release (ER) formulation of the integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI) cabotegravir, for use every 2 months to prevent sexually acquired HIV-1 infection in at-risk adolescents and adults. Apretude is the first ER formulation to be FDA-approved for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) of HIV-1 infection.

The FDA has approved Rebyota (Ferring), a rectally-administered, live fecal microbiota suspension, for prevention of additional recurrences of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) following antibiotic treatment for a recurrent episode of CDI in adults. Rebyota is the first microbiome-based treatment to be approved for this indication. It is not approved for initial treatment of CDI. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been used in patients with multiple CDI recurrences.

An outbreak of monkeypox has recently spread around the globe and across the US. Updated information about the current outbreak is available from the CDC.

The CDC is recommending that persons at high risk of mpox (see Table 1) receive two doses of the Jynneos vaccine. The recommendation follows reports of a recent cluster of mpox cases in the US and warnings about the risk of a renewed outbreak during the spring and summer as people gather for festivals and other events. The CDC does not recommend routine immunization against mpox for the general population.

The FDA has approved vonoprazan, a potassium-competitive acid blocker, copackaged with amoxicillin (Voquezna Dual Pak – Phathom) and with amoxicillin and clarithromycin (Voquezna Triple Pak) for treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in adults. Vonoprazan is the first potassium-competitive acid blocker to be approved in the US. It has been available in Japan for treatment of various acid-related disorders since 2014. Vonoprazan is not available alone in the US.

The FDA has approved Vowst (Seres Therapeutics/Nestle HealthScience), an oral capsule containing live fecal microbiota spores, for prevention of additional recurrences of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in adults. Vowst is the first orally administered microbiota-based treatment to be approved for this indication. A rectally-administered live fecal microbiota-based suspension (Rebyota) was approved in 2022 for the same indication. Neither product is approved for acute treatment of CDI.

Since 2007, antimicrobial prophylaxis for dental procedures has been recommended to prevent viridans group streptococcal infective endocarditis only for patients at highest risk of an adverse outcome. Limiting use to such patients does not appear to have led to an increased incidence of infective endocarditis or increased mortality due to infective endocarditis.