Rilonacept (Arcalyst – Kiniksa), an interleukin-1 (IL-1) antagonist that has been available for years for treatment of cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes, has now been approved by the FDA for treatment of recurrent pericarditis and prevention of further recurrences in patients ≥12 years old. It is the first drug to be approved in the US for this indication. Anakinra (Kineret), an IL-1 receptor antagonist FDA-approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, has been used off-label for years for treatment of recurrent pericarditis.

Xywav (Jazz), an oral solution that contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium oxybates, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of idiopathic hypersomnia in adults. It is the first drug to be approved in the US for this indication. Xywav was approved in 2020 for treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness or cataplexy in patients ≥7 years old with narcolepsy. It contains about 92% less sodium than sodium oxybate oral solution (Xyrem), which has been available in the US for years for use in patients ≥7 years old with narcolepsy.

The oral kinase inhibitor alpelisib (Vijoice – Novartis) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of patients ≥2 years old with severe manifestations of PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum (PROS) who require systemic treatment. Alpelisib is the first drug to be approved in the US for this indication. It was also approved in 2019 as Piqray for use in combination with fulvestrant for treatment of certain types of breast cancer.

The Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor zanubrutinib (Brukinsa), which was previously approved by the FDA for treatment of mantle cell lymphoma, Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, and relapsed or refractory marginal zone lymphoma, has now been approved for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) in adults. The BTK inhibitors ibrutinib (Imbruvica) and acalabrutinib (Calquence) were approved earlier for treatment of CLL and SLL.

The oral kinase inhibitor tucatinib (Tukysa – Seagen) has received accelerated approval from the FDA for use in combination with trastuzumab (Herceptin) for treatment of adults with RAS wild-type human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer that has progressed following treatment with fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy regimens. Tucatinib was approved in 2020 for use in combination with trastuzumab and capecitabine (Xeloda, and generics) for treatment of adults with advanced unresectable or...

Sacituzumab govitecan-hziy (Trodelvy – Gilead) has been approved for treatment of unresectable locally advanced or metastatic hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer in adults who received prior endocrine therapy and ≥2 additional systemic therapies for metastatic disease. It was previously approved for treatment-refractory metastatic triplenegative breast cancer and for treatment of locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer in adults who received platinum-based chemotherapy and a programmed death receptor-1...

Atezolizumab (Tecentriq – Genentech), an immune checkpoint inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of unresectable or metastatic alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) in patients ≥2 years old. It was previously approved for treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, hepatocellular cancer, and melanoma (see Table 1). Atezolizumab is the first drug to be approved in the US for treatment of ASPS. ASPS is a rare disorder that affects mostly adolescents and young adults; <1% of soft tissue sarcomas are ASPS.

The FDA has approved cemiplimab-rwlc (Libtayo – Regeneron), an immune checkpoint inhibitor, for use in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy for first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in adults with no epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), or ROS1 aberrations and who are not candidates for surgical resection or chemoradiation. The drug was previously approved for first-line treatment of NSCLC in patients whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression and no genomic tumor aberrations....

Enfortumab vedotin-ejfv (Padcev – Astellas), a nectin-4-directed antibody and microtubule inhibitor conjugate, has received accelerated approval from the FDA for use with the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) for treatment of locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer in adults who are ineligible for cisplatin-containing chemotherapy. Accelerated approval was based on tumor response rates and the durability of response.

The FDA has approved Onyda XR (Tris), an extended-release (ER) oral suspension formulation of the alpha_2-adrenergic agonist clonidine, for use as monotherapy or as an adjunct to stimulant therapy for treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children ≥6 years old. Clonidine ER tablets have been available for years for treatment of ADHD in children 6-17 years old.