New Drugs 2018- Pharmacist

In 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 59 new drugs – the highest number in more than 10 years – including 19 first-in-class agents. Of the 59 new approvals, 73% received priority review. This issue of The Rx Consultant focuses on the new drugs that may be important additions (including a number of “firsts”) in their therapeutic areas: influenza infection, HIV-1 infection, pneumonia and skin infections, nonmetastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer, endometriosis, migraine prophylaxis, moderate to severe acne, and chronic, idiopathic constipation. Dosing and drug interactions are detailed in Table 1. Brief descriptions of selected additional new drugs are shown in Table 2, and new HIV drugs and HIV drug combinations are decribed in Table 3. Table 4 lists selected new formulations or indications for previously approved drugs. Note: An addendum on cardiovascular safety of CGRP antagonists has been added to this issue - see the Addendum after the Test Questions on page 16.