On July 7, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an oral combination of decitabine and cedazuridine (Inqovi^®) for adult patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, including the following:

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved avelumab (Bavencio^®) for maintenance treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC) that has not progressed with first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy.

A new class of drugs, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), combines the specificity of targeted therapy with the cytotoxicity of chemotherapy for a powerhouse effect against certain types of cancer variants. Here’s what you need to know about this novel treatment modality.

On June 29, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda^®) for first-line treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer.

On June 29, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new fixed-dose combination of pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and hyaluronidase-zzxf (Phesgo™) via subcutaneous injection for use in combination with docetaxel to treat patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have not received prior anti-HER2 therapy or chemotherapy for metastatic disease.

On June 24, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab (Keytruda^®) for patients with recurrent or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) that is not curable with surgery or radiation.

On June 22, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to selinexor (Xpovio^®) for adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), not otherwise specified, including DLBCL arising from follicular lymphoma, after at least two lines of systemic therapy.

Viral infections such as HIV may increase a person’s risk for developing several malignancies. However, most investigational drug studies exclude HIV-positive patients with cancer and optimal treatment regimens remain unknown.

On June 18, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to tazemetostat (Tazverik™), an EZH2 inhibitor, for adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma whose tumors are positive for an EZH2 mutation, as detected by an FDA-approved test, who have received at least two prior systemic therapies and have no satisfactory alternative treatment options.

On June 16, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to pembrolizumab (Keytruda^®) for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with unresectable or metastatic tumor mutational burden-high (TMB-H) [≥ 10 mutations/megabase (mut/Mb)] solid tumors, as determined by an FDA-approved test, that have progressed following prior treatment and have no satisfactory alternative treatment options.

On June 16, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) extended the indication of gemtuzumab ozogamicin (Mylotarg™) for newly-diagnosed CD33-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to include pediatric patients aged 1 month and older.

On June 15, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to lurbinectedin (Zepzelca™) for adult patients with metastatic small cell lung cancer with disease progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.

On May 29, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ramucirumab (Cyramza^®) in combination with erlotinib for first-line treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor exon 19 deletions or exon 21 mutations. 

On May 26, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the combination of nivolumab plus ipilimumab  and two cycles of platinum-doublet chemotherapy as first-line treatment for patients with metastatic or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with no epidermal growth factor receptor or anaplastic lymphoma kinase genomic tumor aberrations.

On May 22, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved brigatinib (Alunbrig^®) for adult patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive, metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). FDA also approved the Vysis ALK Break Apart FISH Probe Kit as a companion diagnostic for brigatinib. 

Capecitabine (Xeloda^®) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998 as a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor with antineoplastic activity indicated for adjuvant colon cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, and metastatic breast cancer.

On May 19, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved olaparib (Lynparza^®) for adult patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline or somatic homologous recombination repair (HRR) gene-mutated, metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), who have progressed following prior treatment with enzalutamide or abiraterone.

On May 18, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved atezolizumab (Tecentriq^®) for first-line treatment of adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression (PD-L1 staining ≥ 50% of tumor cells [TC] or PD-L1-stained tumor-infiltrating immune cells [IC] covering ≥ 10% of the tumor area), with no epidermal growth factor receptor or anaplastic lymphoma kinase genomic tumor aberrations. 

On May 15, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ripretinib (Qinlock™) for adult patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) who received prior treatment with three or more kinase inhibitors, including imatinib. 

On May 15, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to rucaparib (Rubraca^®) for patients with deleterious BRCA mutation (germline or somatic)-associated, metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who had been treated with androgen receptor-directed therapy and taxane-based chemotherapy. 

On May 15, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo^®) and ipilimumab (Yervoy^®) as first-line treatment for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors express PD-L1 (≥ 1%), as determined by an FDA-approved test, with no epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) genomic tumor aberrations. 

On May 14, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the indication of pomalidomide (Pomalyst®) to include treating adult patients with AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma after failure of highly active antiretroviral therapy and Kaposi sarcoma in adult patients who are HIV negative. 

As part of the update process for the List of Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the Department of Health and Human Services, is seeking public comments on the draft documents through June 30, 2020.

On May 8, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the indication of olaparib (Lynparza^®) to include its combination with bevacizumab for first-line maintenance treatment of adult patients with advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in complete or partial response to first-line, platinum-based chemotherapy and whose cancer is associated with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD)–positive status defined by either a deleterious or suspected deleterious BRCA mutation or genomic instability.

On May 8, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to selpercatinib (Retevmo™) for adult patients with metastatic, RET fusion–positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); adult and pediatric patients aged 12 or older with advanced or metastatic RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) who require systemic therapy; and adult and pediatric patients aged 12 or older with advanced or metastatic RET fusion–positive thyroid cancer who require systemic therapy and who are refractory to radioactive iodine (if radioactive iodine is appropriate). This is the first drug approval for RET genetic alterations.

On May 6, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to capmatinib (Tabrecta™) for adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors have a mutation that leads to mesenchymal-epithelial transition exon 14 skipping, as detected by an FDA-approved test. It is the first drug approval for this specific patient population and the first targeted therapy for the indication.

Immunotherapies have revolutionized the approach to cancer treatment by leveraging patients’ own immune systems to fight the disease. But the novel therapies have also brought an evolution in traditional treatment regimens through their combination with chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy, or even other immunotherapy drugs.

On May 1, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj (Darzalex Faspro™) for adult patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The product allows for subcutaneous dosing of daratumumab. 

On April 29, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved niraparib (Zejula^®) for the maintenance treatment of adult patients with advanced epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in a complete or partial response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. 

Daratumumab (Darzalex^®) was originally approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2015 with additional indications added since. The most recent new indication was approved in September 2019 for newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma who are eligible for autologous stem cell transplantation. In May 2020, daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj (Darzalex Faspro™), a subcutaneous (SQ) formulation, was approved.

On April 9, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that supplies of leucovorin calcium lyophilized powder for injection manufactured by Sagent Pharmaceuticals are currently in shortage. On April 21, the agency expanded the shortage to include supplies manufactured by Fresenius Kabi USA and Teva Pharmaceuticals.

On April 21, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the indication of ibrutinib (Imbruvica^®) to include its combination with rituximab for the initial treatment of adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma.

More than 65% of patients with germline BRCA/PALB2-mutated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma responded to treatment with combination cisplatin and gemcitabine, according to results of a study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Two- and three-year survival rates reached 31% and 18%, respectively.  

On April 17, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to pemigatinib (Pemazyre™), the first treatment approved for adults with certain types of previously treated advanced cholangiocarcinoma. 

On April 17, 2020, as part of Project Orbis, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved tucatinib (Tukysa™) in combination with chemotherapy (trastuzumab and capecitabine) for the treatment of adult patients with advanced forms of HER2-positive breast cancer that can’t be removed with surgery or have spread to other parts of the body, including the brain, and who have received one or more prior treatments. 

On April 15, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved mitomycin (Jelmyto®) for the treatment of adult patients with low-grade, upper-tract urothelial cancer (LG-UTUC). 

Two new drugs in clinical trials are extending survival for women with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer that had progressed with previous treatment. One of the drugs was effective for brain metastasis, which is particularly difficult to treat. Results from both studies were reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

Tocilizumab was approved in August 2017 for the treatment of chimeric antigen receptor T cell–induced cytokine release syndrome. In March 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of tocilizumab plus standard of care in patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

On April 8, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved encorafenib (Braftovi^®) in combination with cetuximab for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) with a BRAF V600E mutation, detected by an FDA-approved test, after prior therapy. 

On April 3, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved luspatercept-aamt (Reblozyl^®) for the treatment of anemia failing an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent and requiring two or more red blood cell (RBC) units over eight weeks in adult patients with very low- to intermediate-risk myelodysplastic syndromes with ring sideroblasts (MDS-RS) or with myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm with ring sideroblasts and thrombocytosis (MDS/MPN-RS-T).  

On April 1, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked manufacturers to withdraw all prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine drugs from the market immediately.

On March 27, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved durvalumab (Imfinzi®) in combination with etoposide and either carboplatin or cisplatin as first-line treatment of patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). 

Adding atezolizumab to treatment with bevacizumab, carboplatin, and paclitaxel as first-line therapy for metastatic, nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is associated with survival benefit—but it comes at a cost, researchers said in study results published in JAMA Network Open. In comparison, pembrolizumab offers a more cost-effective survival benefit. 

Approved in 2006 as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with EGFR-expressing metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) after disease progression following treatment, panitumumab has been a mainstay metastatic disease for more than a decade. In 2014, it received additional indication as first-line therapy for the treatment of patients with EGFR-expressing mCRC in combination with FOLFOX, but in 2017, use was narrowed to wild-type RAS (not mutated RAS). 

On March 10, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab (Opdivo^® and Yervoy^®) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who have been previously treated with sorafenib. 

Despite medical cannabis’s legalization for medical use throughout 31 different jurisdictions in the United States, practicing providers have little research and few guidelines for patient care. To address the gap, in 2018 the National Council of State Boards of Nursing published Nursing Guidelines for Medical Marijuana, which provides general nursing education and guidance—yet doesn’t discuss drug interactions, specifically. To understand how medical cannabis affects concomitant pharmaceuticals, nurses must have a basic knowledge of the endocannabinoid system (ECS).  

As researchers learn more about how combination therapy combats drug resistance and lessens the changes of tumor evasion of the immune system, immune checkpoint inhibitors are receiving approval for a broader range of indications. However, recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals have centered around hematologic malignancies and the emergence of two new biosimilars. 

On May 15, 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved epoetin alfa-epbx (Retacrit™) as a biosimilar to epoetin alfa (Epogen/Procrit) for the treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease.