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Content Update
September 19, 2024
Corticosteroids in Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Recent studies are increasingly convincing that corticosteroids, used as an adjunct to standard of care, reduce disease progression and mortality in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Hyperglycemia and increased insulin use are expected, routine complications of corticosteroid therapy. Because existing CAP guidelines predate these recent findings, they do not endorse corticosteroids in CAP. However, a recently updated Society of Critical Care Medicine position paper strongly recommends using adjunctive corticosteroids in severe CAP. Further investigations are needed to determine the optimal drug(s), dosage(s), and duration(s) to improve clinical outcomes.
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Content Update
June 14, 2024
Ceftobiprole: A newly approved cephalosporin antibiotic: Effective treatment against bacterial infections is increasingly difficult as antimicrobial resistance is on the rise. Ceftobiprole medocaril, a 5th-generation cephalosporin, was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB), acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI), and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).
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Content Update
December 21, 2023
Reacting to the Rise of Respiratory Syncytial Virus: An Update on Prevention: In 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved several prophylactic measures against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): 1) Nirsevimab (Beyfortus®) for the pediatric population; 2) a recombinant, adjuvanted RSVPreF3 vaccine (Arexvy®) for the geriatric population; and 3) a bivalent RSVpreF vaccine (Abrysvo®) for the pregnant and geriatric populations. Compared to palivizumab, the previous standard of care, nirsevimab has an extended half-life and convenient single-dosing schedule. Abrysvo® and Arexvy® are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as single dose RSV vaccine options for adults 60 and older with shared decision making. Additionally, Abrysvo® is recommended in pregnant women at 32-36 weeks gestational age. Adverse effects (AEs) were mostly minor, although neurological AEs (e.g. Guillain-Barre syndrome) were noted in a small number of patients.
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Content Update
March 15, 2023
Inpatient Management of COVID-19: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) frequently release COVID-19 guideline updates to assist with the diagnosis, treatment and management of patients infected with COIVD-19. The management of inpatients with COVID-19 varies greatly depending on patient risk factors, disease severity and medication availability. Pharmacologic treatment involves a variety of therapies that target different pathologic mechanisms including antivirals, anti-inflammatory agents, and immunomodulatory agents, This update will focus on new pharmacotherapy recommendations regarding the inpatient management of COVID-19.
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Content Update
September 29, 2022
Approval of the Combination Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir (Paxlovid™) for the Treatment of COVID-19 in the Outpatient Setting: In December 2021, the treatment combination nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid™) received emergency use authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults and children over 12 years of age. The combination pill consists of nirmatrelvir, a 3C-like protease inhibitor which inhibits viral replication, and ritonavir, a protease inhibitor ...