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The article offers information on the drugs Erenumab, Benralizumab, and Tezacaftor/ivacaftor, which are approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Topics include estimated number of Americans who experience migraine headaches, medications that are used most often in the treatment of acute migraine attacks, and the effectiveness of erenumab. Also mentioned are the indications and administration of Benralizumab and Tezacaftor/ivacaftor.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves the activation of a photosensitizing drug, which preferentially localizes to diseased skin, by irradiation with light to cause selective cytotoxic damage. Since its discovery in the early 20th century and the development of topical photosensitizers 2 decades ago, PDT is increasingly being used in dermatology for a wide range of neoplastic, inflammatory, and infectious cutaneous conditions. Topical 5-aminolevulinic acid and methyl aminolevulinic acid, the most commonly used agents in PDT, have received Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of actinic keratoses, and many second-generation photosensitizers are under investigation. Compared with conventional therapies, PDT has the advantage of being noninvasive and capable of field treatment. It is also associated with quicker recovery periods and excellent cosmetic results. Because of these benefits, PDT is being evaluated as a potential treatment option for many dermatologic conditions and has been shown to be effective for certain nonmelanoma skin cancers. Although research is still limited, PDT might also have a therapeutic benefit for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, acne, psoriasis, leishmaniasis, and warts, among others. This article is a review of the clinical applications of PDT in dermatology and summarizes the current evidence in literature describing its efficacy, safety, and cosmetic outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a sharp increase in the expenditures for drug research and development (R&D) in the past decade, the declining trend in the number of new drugs approved annually by the US Food and Drug Administration continues. This growing disparity between R&D investment and new drug approvals results in part from the deficiency in promising therapeutic targets and leads to a stagnation exacerbated by the lack of advanced drug discovery tools for harvesting the 'high-hanging fruits' such as inhibitors of protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Small peptide inhibitors of PPIs can be of high affinity and specificity, promising an important class of therapeutic agents that target PPIs involved in a great variety of biological processes. However, susceptibility to proteolytic degradation in vivo still remains a major hurdle that limits their therapeutic potential. This limitation can be overcome by mirror-image phage display, a technique that allows, through phage-expressed peptide library screening against the D-enantiomer of a target protein, for the identification of proteolysis-resistant D-peptide inhibitors of PPIs. Recent advances in total protein synthesis via native chemical ligation have significantly expanded the scope of molecular targets for mirror-image phage display. This concise review focuses on the latest development in the combined use of mirror-image phage display and native chemical ligation for D-peptide based anticancer drug discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic constipation and IBS-C are two of the most common functional bowel disorders encountered by primary care providers and gastroenterologists, affecting up to 27% of the population in Western countries [1-4]. The treatment of these disorders is often empiric and most current therapies are indicated for episodic constipation. Over time, most patients become refractory to one or more laxatives. Lubiprostone (Amitiza) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of chronic-idiopathic constipation [6]. It is an oral bicyclic fatty acid that selectively activates type 2 chloride channels in the apical membrane of the intestinal epithelial cells, hence stimulating chloride secretion, along with passive secretion of sodium and water, inducing peristalsis and laxation, without stimulating gastrointestinal smooth muscle. Several trials have shown it to be effective in the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation, and recently also IBS-C. It has little systemic absorption and almost free of any serious adverse effects, however, occasionally can cause nausea. Based on the available evidence, it is reasonable to conclude that lubiprostone should be added to the short list of evidence-based pharmacotherapies for chronic constipation and IBS-C. Given the overlap between chronic constipation and IBS-C, clinicians can consider two strategies when deciding on the initial dose of lubiprostone. Based on current product labeling, it is recommended that 8 μg bid be started in patients with IBS-C whereas 24 μg bid be used in those with chronic constipation. Thus far, lubiprostone offers a novel approach to our therapeutic armamentarium, however, there is a need for more drugs with different mechanisms of action, in order to treat constipation that is often multifunctional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses empagliflozin and cardiovascular death. Topics discussed include the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and empagliflozin as an inhibitor of the sodium-glucose cotransporter two which has been approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.