View the Comparison Chart: SGLT2 Inhibitors

View the Comparison Chart: Safety of Drugs for IBS in Pregnancy and Lactation

Our December 11, 2023 article on Drugs for Depression included a single sentence on the safety of bupropion use during pregnancy: "The safety of bupropion during pregnancy has not been established; data from a bupropion pregnancy registry suggested a possible increase in cardiac malformations." A reader asked us to provide more information.

View the Comparison Table: Some Drugs for Plaque Psoriasis

The investigational anti-complement component 5a (C5a) antibody vilobelimab (Gohibic – InflaRx) has been granted an FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for IV treatment of hospitalized adults with COVID-19 beginning within 48 hours after invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is started. Vilobelimab is the first anti-C5a antibody to become available in the US.

The CDC has issued new guidance allowing for an interval of up to 8 weeks between the first and second primary doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in certain patients 12-64 years old.1 Product labeling currently recommends a 3-week interval between the first two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine (Comirnaty) and a 4-week interval between the first two doses of the Moderna mRNA vaccine (Spikevax). The new guidance is based on data suggesting that a longer interval can decrease the risk of myocarditis and may improve vaccine efficacy.

The FDA has approved a generic injectable formulation of the opioid antagonist nalmefene (Purdue) for the management of known or suspected opioid overdose. Revex, the reference product, was withdrawn from the market in 2008 for commercial reasons.

The FDA has approved Cobenfy (BMS), an oral fixed-dose combination of the muscarinic agonist xanomeline and the peripheral muscarinic antagonist trospium chloride, for treatment of schizophrenia in adults. It is the first antipsychotic drug to be approved in the US for treatment of schizophrenia that does not block dopamine receptors. This is the first approval for xanomeline; trospium has been available for many years for treatment of overactive bladder.

Lecanemab-irmb (Leqembi – Eisai/Biogen), the IV amyloid-directed monoclonal antibody that received accelerated approval from the FDA in January 2023 for treatment of early Alzheimer's disease, has now received full approval from the FDA based on a trial showing that it slowed cognitive and functional decline in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild Alzheimer's disease dementia and confirmed presence of brain amyloid. The IV amyloid-directed monoclonal antibody aducanumab (Aduhelm) has received only an accelerated FDA-approval for the same indication.

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.