The FDA has approved a 12.5-mg tablet formulation of the thiazide-like diuretic chlorthalidone (HemiClor – Ingenus) for treatment of hypertension. Chlorthalidone has been available for years in 15-, 25-, and 50-mg tablets (Thalitone, and generics) and in fixed-dose combinations with azilsartan medoxomil (Edarbyclor) and atenolol (Tenoretic, and generics).

Nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln (Anktiva – ImmunityBio), a first-in-class interleukin-15 (IL15) receptor agonist, has been approved by the FDA for use with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for treatment of patients with BCG-unresponsive nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with carcinoma in situ with or without papillary tumors. Such patients generally undergo bladder tumor resection, followed by intravesical BCG treatment, but treatment failure and cancer recurrence are common. The adenoviral vector-based intravesical gene therapy nadofaragene firadenovec-vncg (Adstiladrin)...

View Expanded Table: Some Conventional DMARDs for Rheumatoid Arthritis

The potassium-competitive acid blocker vonoprazan (Voquezna – Phathom), which was approved earlier for treatment of erosive esophagitis, has now been approved by the FDA for relief of heartburn associated with nonerosive gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in adults. Vonoprazan is also available copackaged with amoxicillin (Voquezna Dual Pak) and with amoxicillin and clarithromycin (Voquezna Triple Pak) for treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection.

Onychomycosis is caused most commonly by Trichophyton rubrum or T. mentagrophytes. About 10% of all persons worldwide and 40% of those ≥60 years old are believed to have the disease. Risk factors include older age, diabetes, poor peripheral circulation, smoking, HIV infection, psoriasis, and immunosuppression. Left untreated, onychomycosis can cause nail plate destruction, ingrown nails, and (particularly in patients with diabetes) secondary infections. Guidelines on treatment of onychomycosis have been published.

The FDA has expanded its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech (Comirnaty) to permit use of the bivalent formulation (containing mRNA from the original and BA.4/5 Omicron strains of SARS-CoV-2) as a booster dose in children 6 months to 4 years old who completed the primary series with 3 doses of the monovalent formulation ≥2 months previously. The Pfizer bivalent vaccine had previously been authorized for use as a booster dose in persons ≥5 years old and as a third primary dose in children 6 months to 4 years old. Booster...

In the recent Medical Letter article on Drugs for Chronic Heart Failure (2025: 67:81), the paragraph on adverse effects of SGLT2 inhibitors should have stated that these drugs can cause ketoacidosis, which can be fatal, especially in patients with type 1 diabetes.

View the Table: Over the Counter At-Home Tests for COVID-19

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

The FDA has expanded its Emergency Use Authorization for the adjuvanted protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Novavax to include its use as a first booster dose in adults who completed a primary series with any COVID-19 vaccine ≥6 months previously and are unable or unwilling to receive a booster dose of a bivalent mRNA vaccine. The Novavax vaccine is not authorized for use in persons who have received a booster dose of any other COVID-19 vaccine.