American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines for treatment of hypertension were last published in 2018. Treatment of hypertensive urgencies and emergencies is not discussed here.

The alkylating agent lurbinectedin (Zepzelca – Jazz) has received accelerated approval from the FDA for treatment of metastatic small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in adults with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Accelerated approval was based on the overall response rate and duration of response. About 13-15% of lung cancers are small-cell cancers. Most SCLCs occur in patients who are current or former smokers.

Olutasidenib (Rezlidhia – Rigel), an oral isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) inhibitor, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adults with a susceptible IDH1 mutation. It is the second drug that targets cancer metabolism to be approved for this indication; ivosidenib (Tibsovo) was approved in 2022.

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.

Lifileucel (Amtagvi – Iovance), a tumor-derived autologous T-cell immunotherapy, has received accelerated approval from the FDA for one-time treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic melanoma previously treated with a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) inhibitor, and if BRAF V600 mutation-positive, a BRAF inhibitor with or without a mitogen-activated kinase (MEK) inhibitor. It is the first cellular therapy to be approved for use in solid tumors. Accelerated approval of lifileucel was based on objective response rates.

The FDA has approved tebentafusp-tebn (Kimmtrak – Immunocore), a first-in-class bispecific gp100 peptide-HLA-directed CD3 T-cell engager, for treatment of HLA-A*02:01-positive unresectable or metastatic uveal melanoma in adults.

Elecsys Phospho-Tau (181P) Plasma (Roche), a blood-based diagnostic test, has been cleared by the FDA to aid in the initial assessment of amyloid plaque pathology associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in patients ≥55 years old with signs of cognitive decline. It is the second blood test for AD biomarkers to be cleared by the FDA; the Lumipulse G pTau217/β-Amyloid 1-42 Plasma Ratio test was cleared in 2025 (see Table 1).

Obinutuzumab (Gazyva – Genentech), a CD20-directed monoclonal antibody, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of adults with active lupus nephritis who are receiving standard treatment. It was previously approved for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and follicular lymphoma. Obinutuzumab is the third drug to be approved in the US for treatment of lupus nephritis; the oral calcineurin inhibitor voclosporin (Lupkynis) and the parenteral B-lymphocyte stimulator (BlyS)-specific inhibitor belimumab (Benlysta) were approved earlier.

IV antiviral drug remdesivir (Veklury) has now been FDA-approved for treatment of COVID-19 in patients ≥28 days old who weigh ≥3 kg and are either hospitalized or at high risk for progression to severe disease. Remdesivir was already FDA-approved for these indications in patients ≥12 years old who weigh ≥40 kg; it was available under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for younger or lighter patients. Remdesivir is the first drug to be FDA-approved for treatment of COVID-19 in children <12 years old.

Difelikefalin (Korsuva – Vifor), an IV kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonist, has been approved by the FDA for treatment of moderate to severe pruritus associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults on hemodialysis. It is the first drug to be approved for this indication and the first KOR agonist to become available in the US. Difelikefalin has not been studied in patients on peritoneal dialysis.