Diabetes Update: Beyond Glycemic Management
In 2021, insulin will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Yet a century after the discovery of insulin, the US is experiencing an escalation in the number of diabetes cases. In 2020, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 34.2 million Americans (11% of the US population) have diabetes and 88 million American adults (35% of the US adult population) have prediabetes. New diabetes cases were higher among non-Hispanic blacks and people of Hispanic origin... Read More »
Managing Opioid Use Disorder with Medications
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug overdose deaths have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. In fact, over 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred over a 12-month time period ending in May 2020 – a 38% increase over the 12-month period through May of 2019. Synthetic opioids, specifically illicitly manufactured fentanyl, appear to be the driver behind this increase. Opioid use and associated overdoses may continue to rise as the long-term consequences of the pandemic (eg, job loss, lost relationships, anxiety, depression) become palpable... Read More »
New Drugs 2020
During 2020, the global pandemic pressured the FDA to focus on treatments, diagnostic tests, and prevention measures for SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19. However, the agency still approved 53 drugs as new molecular entities or new biologics – an increase over the 48 novel drugs approved in 2019.This issue summarizes key information on new, first-in-class medications for cholesterol management and two common skin conditions (acne vulgaris and actinic keratosis); the first drug for peanut allergy; the first oral gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist for prostate cancer... Read More »
