The FDA has licensed a 13-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine (PCV13; Prevnar 13 – Pfizer) for the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in infants and children <6 years old. It replaces Prevnar (PCV7). An unconjugated 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23; Pneumovax 23 – Merck) is FDA-approved for use in adults.

The FDA has approved the use of dalfampridine (4-aminopyridine; Ampyra – Acorda), a potassium channel blocker, to improve walking speed in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Walking speed is considered a reliable clinical measure of impairment in patients with MS.

The FDA has approved use of denosumab (Prolia – Amgen) for treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women at high risk for fracture.

The FDA has approved a buccal tablet formulation of miconazole (Oravig – Strativa) for local treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis in adults. Miconazole has been available for many years in topical formulations for treatment of superficial fungal infections and vulvovaginal candidiasis.

The FDA has approved ivacaftor (eye va kaf’ tor; Kalydeco – Vertex) for oral treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) in patients ≥6 years old with the G551D mutation, which is found in about 5% of patients with CF. It is the first drug approved in the US that treats the cause of the disease.

The FDA has approved an oral solution of the nonselective beta-adrenergic blocker propranolol (Hemangeol – Pierre Fabre) for treatment of proliferating infantile hemangiomas.

Metreleptin (Myalept – Amylin), a recombinant leptin analog produced in E. coli, has been approved by the FDA to treat the complications of leptin deficiency in patients with congenital or acquired generalized lipodystrophy. It has not been approved to date for the treatment of partial lipodystrophies, including those associated with the use of protease inhibitors in patients with HIV. Metreleptin is approved in Japan for the treatment of any lipodystrophy disorder.

The FDA has approved the interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor antagonist tocilizumab (Actemra – Genentech) for subcutaneous (SC) treatment of giant cell arteritis in adults. It is the first drug to be approved in the US for this indication. Tocilizumab is also approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, polyarticular or systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and cytokine release syndrome.

The FDA has approved lanadelumab-flyo (Takhzyro – Takeda), a subcutaneously-administered plasma kallikrein inhibitor, for prevention of hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks in adults and children ≥12 years old. Lanadelumab is the third drug to be approved for this indication; the human plasmaderived C1 esterase inhibitors (C1INHs) Cinryze, which is administered IV, and Haegarda, which is given SC, have been available for years for HAE prophylaxis in patients ≥6 years old.

The FDA has approved Acuvue Theravision with Ketotifen (Johnson & Johnson Vision Care), a daily-wear, disposable, vision-correcting soft contact lens that releases the H₁-antihistamine ketotifen, for prevention of ocular itch due to allergic conjunctivitis in contact lens users. This is the first approval for a drug-eluting contact lens. Ketotifen eye drops (Alaway, Zaditor, and others) are available over the counter.