Clinical Insights: April 2nd, 2025
Welcome to Pillr Health’s Clinical Insights, designed to help pharmacy professionals stay up to date on the ever-changing pharmaceutical and pharmacy marketplace.
New Drug/Vaccine Approval
Qfitlia™ (fitusiran) Injection – New Drug Approval – March 28, 2025 – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia™ (fitusiran), the first antithrombin-lowering (AT) therapy for routine prophylaxis to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in adult and pediatric patients (aged 12 or older) with hemophilia A or B with or without factor VIII or IX inhibitors. The approval is based on data from the ATLAS phase 3 studies that demonstrated clinically meaningful bleed protection as measured by annualized bleeding rates (ABR) across hemophilia patients with or without inhibitors. <Read More>
Vykat™ XR FDA Approval History – New Drug Approval – March 26, 2025 – Soleno Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLNO), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Vykat XR™ (diazoxide choline) extended-release tablets, previously referred to as DCCR, for the treatment of hyperphagia in adults and children 4 years of age and older with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). Soleno expects Vykat XR™ to be available in the U.S. beginning in April 2025. <Read More>
Blujepa™ (gepotidacin) Tablets – New Drug Approval – March 25, 2025 – GSK plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Blujepa™ (gepotidacin) for the treatment of female adults (≥40 kg) and paediatric patients (≥12 years, ≥40 kg) with uncomplicated urinary tract infections (uUTIs) caused by the following susceptible microorganisms: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Citrobacter freundii complex, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Enterococcus faecalis. Discovered by GSK scientists, Blujepa™ is a first-in-class oral antibiotic with a novel mechanism of action that is part of GSK’s infectious diseases portfolio. <Read More>
Gozellix® (gallium Ga 68 gozetotide) Injection Kit – New Drug Approval – March 20, 2025 – Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: TLX, Nasdaq: TLX, Telix, the Company) announces that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its New Drug Application (NDA) for Gozellix® (TLX007-CDx, kit for the preparation of gallium-68 (68Ga) gozetotide injection), Telix’s next-generation PSMA-PET imaging agent for prostate cancer. <Read More>
Arbli™ (losartan potassium) Oral Suspension – New Drug Approval – March 13, 2025 – Scienture Holdings, Inc. NASDAQ: SCNX), a holding company for existing and planned pharmaceutical operating companies focused on providing enhanced value to patients, physicians and caregivers through developing, bringing to market, and distributing novel specialty products to satisfy unmet market needs, is pleased to announce the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved SCN-102, one of the products being developed by Scienture, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Scienture Holdings, Inc., with the brand name Arbli™ (losartan potassium) Oral Suspension, 10 mg/mL. <Read More>
Encelto™ (revakinagene taroretcel-lwey) Intravitreal Implant - formerly NT-501 – New Drug Approval – March 5, 2025 – Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a private biotech company focused on developing transformative therapies for chronic eye diseases, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has approved Encelto™ (revakinagene taroretcel-lwey) for the treatment of Macular Telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel). <Read More>
New Indication / Dosage / Formulation Approval
Pluvicto® (lutetium lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan) Injection – New Label Expansion – March 28, 2025 – Novartis announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Pluvicto® (lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan) for patients with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have been treated with an androgen receptor pathway inhibitor (ARPI) therapy and are considered appropriate to delay chemotherapy. <Read More>
Imfinzi® (durvalumab) Injection – New Label Expansion – March 28, 2025 - AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi® (durvalumab) in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin as neoadjuvant treatment, followed by Imfinzi® as adjuvant monotherapy after radical cystectomy (surgery to remove the bladder) has been approved in the US for the treatment of adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). <Read More>
Cabometyx® (cabozantinib) Tablets – New Label Expansion – March 26, 2025 - Exelixis, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXEL) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Cabometyx® (cabozantinib) for the treatment of 1) adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with previously treated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic, well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET); and 2) adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with previously treated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic, well-differentiated extra-pancreatic NET (epNET). <Read More>
Egrifta WR™ (tesamorelin) Injection – New Label Expansion – March 25, 2025 - Theratechnologies Inc. (“Theratechnologies” or the “Company”) (TSX: TH) (NASDAQ: THTX), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Company’s supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for the F8 formulation of tesamorelin for injection. The Company will commercialize the new formulation under the tradename Egrifta WR™. <Read More>
Amvuttra® (vutrisiran) Injection – New Label Expansion – March 20, 2025 - Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALNY), the leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for its RNAi therapeutic, Amvuttra® (vutrisiran), for the treatment of the cardiomyopathy of wild-type or hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR-CM) in adults to reduce cardiovascular mortality, cardiovascular hospitalizations and urgent heart failure visits. <Read More>
Fabhalta® (iptacopan) Capsules – New Label Expansion – March 20, 2025 - Novartis announced that oral Fabhalta® (iptacopan) has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the treatment of adults with C3 glomerulopathy (C3G), to reduce proteinuria, making it the first and only treatment approved for this condition. <Read More>
Tremfya® (guselkumab) Injection – New Label Expansion – March 20, 2025 - Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tremfya® (guselkumab), the first and only IL-23 inhibitor offering both subcutaneous (SC) and intravenous (IV) induction options, for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease (CD), a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. <Read More>
Keytruda® (pembrolizumab) for Injection – New Label Expansion – March 19, 2025 - The Food and Drug Administration granted traditional approval to pembrolizumab (Keytruda®, Merck) with trastuzumab, fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of adults with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma whose tumors express PD-L1 (CPS ≥1). <Read More>
Iluvien® (fluocinolone acetonide) Intravitreal Implant – New Label Expansion – March 12, 2025 - ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANIP) (ANI or the Company) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an expanded label for Iluvien® (fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant) that includes an indication for the treatment of chronic non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye (NIU-PS). The approval also includes other updates to the label including to the Warnings and Precautions section. <Read More>
Furoscix® (furosemide) Injection – New Label Expansion – March 6, 2025 - scPharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: SCPH) (the “Company”), a pharmaceutical company committed to revolutionizing cardiorenal healthcare through patient-centric innovations, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for Furoscix® to expand the indication to include treatment of edema in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). <Read More>
neffy® (epinephrine) Nasal Spray – New Label Expansion – March 5, 2025 - ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPRY), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to empowering at-risk patients and caregivers to better protect themselves from allergic reactions that could lead to anaphylaxis, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved neffy® 1 mg (epinephrine nasal spray) for the treatment of Type I Allergic Reactions, including anaphylaxis, in children who are aged 4 years and older and weigh 15 to < 30 kilograms (33 to < 66 lb.). This approval represents the first significant innovation in the delivery of epinephrine for this patient population in more than 35 years. <Read More>
Tevimbra® (tislelizumab-jsgr) Injection – New Label Expansion – March 4, 2025 – BeiGene, Ltd. (NASDAQ: ONC; HKEX: 06160; SSE: 688235), a global oncology company that intends to change its name to BeOne Medicines Ltd., announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tevimbra® (tislelizumab-jsgr), in combination with platinum-containing chemotherapy, for the first-line treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) whose tumors express PD-L1 (≥1). <Read More>
New Drug Shortage
March 28, 2025
Carboplatin Injection (Discontinuation)
Ursodiol Tablet (Discontinuation)
March 24, 2025
Hydrocortisone Cream (Discontinuation)
Montelukast Sodium Granule (Discontinuation)
March 18, 2025
Travoprost Solution/Drops (Discontinuation)
March 17, 2025
Glipizide Tablet, Extended Release (Discontinuation)
March 5, 2025
Ibandronate Sodium Injection (Discontinuation)
Ibutilide Fumarate Injection (Discontinuation)
March 4, 2025
Amlodipine Besylate; Benazepril Hydrochloride Capsule (Discontinuation)
Updated Drug Shortage
March 30, 2025
Bupivacaine Hydrochloride Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Bupivacaine Hydrochloride, Epinephrine Bitartrate Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Clindamycin Phosphate Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Dobutamine Hydrochloride Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Dopamine Hydrochloride Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Epinephrine Bitartrate, Lidocaine Hydrochloride Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Hydrocortisone Sodium Succinate Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Ketamine Hydrochloride Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Lidocaine Hydrochloride Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Methotrexate Sodium Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Methylprednisolone Acetate Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Penicillin G Benzathine Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Sodium Chloride 23.4% Injection (Currently In Shortage)
March 28, 2025
Carboplatin Injection (Currently In Shortage)
March 27, 2025
Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Capsule (Currently In Shortage)
March 24, 2025
Amino Acid Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Dextrose Monohydrate 10% Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Dextrose Monohydrate 5% Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Dextrose Monohydrate 70% Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Lactated Ringers Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Midazolam Hydrochloride Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Sodium Chloride 0.9% Injection (Currently In Shortage)
Sodium Chloride 0.9% Irrigation (Currently In Shortage)
Sterile Water Irrigant (Currently In Shortage)
Streptozocin Powder, For Solution (Currently In Shortage)
March 21, 2025
Amphetamine Aspartate Monohydrate, Amphetamine Sulfate, Dextroamphetamine Saccharate, Dextroamphetamine Sulfate Tablet (Currently In Shortage)
Nitroglycerin Injection (Currently In Shortage)
New Drug Recall and Safety Alerts
Levetiracetam in 0.75% Sodium Chloride Injection 1,000 mg/100 mL Dr. Reddy’s - New Voluntary Recall – March 13, 2025 – Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. (BSE: 500124, NSE: DRREDDY, NYSE: RDY, NSEIFSC: DRREDDY; along with its subsidiaries together referred to as “Dr. Reddy’s”), is recalling one Batch/Lot No: A1540076 of Levetiracetam in 0.75% Sodium Chloride Injection, 1,000 mg/100 mL (10 mg/mL) single-dose infusion bags to the consumer level, in the United States. The product is being recalled because the infusion bag is incorrectly labeled as Levetiracetam in 0.82% Sodium Chloride Injection 500 mg/100 mL single-dose bag, while the aluminum overwrap packaging correctly identifies the product as Levetiracetam in 0.75% Sodium Chloride Injection 1,000 mg/100 mL. <Read More>
New Generic/Biosimilar Approval and Launch
Stoboclo® (denosumab-bmwo) Injection - formerly CT-P41 – New Proliaâ Biosimilar Approval – February 28, 2025 – Celltrion announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Stoboclo® (CT-P41, denosumab-bmwo) and Osenvelt® (CT-P41, denosumab-bmwo), biosimilars referencing Prolia® (denosumab) and Xgeva® (denosumab) respectively for all indications of reference products. <Read More>
Osenvelt® (denosumab-bmwo) Injection - formerly CT-P41 – New Xvegaâ Biosimilar Approval – February 28, 2025 – Celltrion announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Stoboclo® (CT-P41, denosumab-bmwo) and Osenvelt® (CT-P41, denosumab-bmwo), biosimilars referencing Prolia® (denosumab) and Xgeva® (denosumab) respectively for all indications of reference products. <Read More>
Conexxence® (denosumab-bnht) Injection – New Prolia® Biosimilar Approval – March 25, 2025 – Fresenius announced that the Biologics License Application (BLA) for the denosumab biosimilars Conexxence® (denosumab-bnht) and Bomyntra® (denosumab-bnht) of its operating company Fresenius Kabi has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These denosumab biosimilars are approved for all indications of the reference products: Prolia® (denosumab) and Xgeva® (denosumab), respectively. In addition, Fresenius’ operating company has reached a Global Settlement with Amgen concerning its denosumab biosimilars. <Read More>
Bomyntra® (denosumab-bnht) Injection – New Xvegaâ Biosimilar Approval – March 25, 2025 – Fresenius announced that the Biologics License Application (BLA) for the denosumab biosimilars Conexxence® (denosumab-bnht) and Bomyntra® (denosumab-bnht) of its operating company Fresenius Kabi has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These denosumab biosimilars are approved for all indications of the reference products: Prolia® (denosumab) and Xgeva® (denosumab), respectively. In addition, Fresenius’ operating company has reached a Global Settlement with Amgen concerning its denosumab biosimilars. <Read More>
Clinical and Pharmacy News
The Key to Solving Medication Errors is at the Intersection of Technology and Standards – April 1, 2025 – By integrating industry standards into e-prescribing software, prescribing organizations can reduce errors to improve patient outcomes and lessen the burden of medication-related errors on healthcare systems. Here’s a look at the new National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) Sig Standard aimed at improving prescription accuracy. 1.5 million people are affected by medication errors each year, posing a significant risk to patients’ safety and increasing healthcare costs. While providers do everything in their power to prevent medication errors, interoperability and lack of visibility into a patient’s medication history can cause serious challenges. <Read More>
Medical Gaslighting Tops List of Highest Patient Safety Risks – March 28, 2025 – The risks associated with medical professionals dismissing patient, family and caregiver concerns — also called “medical gaslighting” — ranked highest on an annual list of patient safety concerns compiled by the nonprofit organization ECRI. Insufficient governance of AI in health care, the viral spread of medical misinformation, and medical errors and delays in care resulting from cybersecurity breaches also were listed as significant concerns. <Read More>
AI Can Help Doctors Give Intravenous Nutrition to Preemies, Stanford Medicine Study Finds – March 25, 2025 – An algorithm that learned from tens of thousands of nutrition prescriptions for premature babies could reduce medical errors and better identify what nutrients the smallest patients need. Artificial intelligence can improve intravenous nutrition for premature babies, a Stanford Medicine study has shown. The study, which published March 25 in Nature Medicine, is among the first to demonstrate how an AI algorithm can enable doctors to make better clinical decisions for sick newborns. <Read More>
Pharmacy Benefit Managers Lining Pockets at Expense of Patients, Say Lawmakers – March 25, 2025 – Third-party companies known as pharmacy benefit managers, which administer prescription drug benefits for health insurance plans, employers, and other organizations including governments, are driving up prescription drug costs, putting small pharmacies out of business, and interfering in the relationship between doctors and their patients, says Sen. Rochelle Nguyen, a Democrat from Las Vegas and the sponsor of Senate Bill 316, a measure that seeks to reform PBMs. Nevadans are being deprived of “life-changing and life-saving prescription drugs and often have to make difficult decisions based on what they can and cannot afford,” Nguyen told members of the Senate Committee on Labor and Commerce during a hearing Monday, adding escalating prescription prices are just one component of high costs. “This isn’t a magic pill that’s going to solve all our health care problems.” <Read More>
Spending Growth on GLP-1s Outpaces Specialty Drugs: Evernorth Study – March 25, 2025 – Spending on GLP-1 drugs continues to rise, after outpacing trends among specialty drugs for the first time in 2023, according to a new report from Evernorth. Pharmaceutical spending overall has grown significantly in recent years, but it has accelerated since semaglutide earned approval for chronic weight management in 2021. Afterward, the rate of annual growth rose from 2.1% in 2021 to 12.8% in 2024, according to the report. Specialty pharmacy has traditionally been the key source of growth in pharmacy spend. For comparison, in 2019, spending for traditional medications decreased by 5% while spending on specialty drugs grew by 11.5%. <Read More>
How Health Systems Can Thrive in Navigating the Specialty Pharmacy Landscape – March 24, 2025 – Specialty pharmacies must meet complex requirements, introducing administrative requirements that can be challenging for health systems to manage internally. Here some strategies that can be employed. The demand for specialty medications is on the rise in the United States as people living with complex health conditions increasingly rely on new treatments and therapies to manage their health. By partnering with an advisory service, health systems can take advantage of established expertise to evaluate and choose from among the breadth and complexity of potential solutions for operating and optimizing an integrated specialty pharmacy. <Read More>
DEA Warns of Electronic Prescription Fraud – March 21, 2025 – The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently alerted healthcare providers to a concerning trend: hackers tapping into patient electronic health records (EHRs) to steal doctors’ DEA registration numbers. Armed with those numbers, the thieves have been able to generate tens of thousands of bogus prescriptions and sell them online, the agency explained in a YouTube video. “Electronic prescription fraud is a real emerging trend that we’re seeing all across the country,” said Erin Hager, a DEA diversion investigator in the Phoenix-Tucson Tactical Division Squad. “What’s happening is … bad actors … who have been conducting prescription drug fraud are now utilizing the internet and electronic health record platforms to create electronic prescriptions that they can then send nationwide.” <Read More>
Ensitrelvir Reduced the Risk for COVID-19 by 67% – March 14, 2025 – Ensitrelvir, an antiviral being developed to prevent COVID-19, reduced the risk of developing the infection by 67% in uninfected people after exposure to SARS-CoV-2 compared with placebo at day 10, according to results presented at CROI 2025, held in San Francisco (abstract 200). The SCORPIO-PEP (Stopping COVID-19 pRogression with early Protease InhibitOr treatment–Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) trial assessed 2,387 study participants, who were 12 years of age and older with a negative screening test for SARS-CoV-2 infection and no symptoms at the time of enrollment. The participants were exposed to a person living in the household who developed symptomatic COVID-19. In this double-blind trial, study participants were randomly assigned to receive 125 mg of ensitrelvir or placebo, once daily, and began prophylaxis within 72 hours of symptom onset in the household member with COVID-19, according to Frederick Hayden, MD, a professor emeritus at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, in Charlottesville. <Read More>
340B in the News
The Case for 340B Done Right – March 30, 2025 – The federal 340B Drug Pricing Program, which requires pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in Medicaid to sell outpatient drugs at discounted prices to healthcare organizations that care for many uninsured and low-income patients, is facing intense scrutiny and calls for reform. The program’s intent has always been to stretch limited federal resources to reduce the price of outpatient pharmaceuticals and expand health services to our most vulnerable communities. In too many cases, that’s just not what’s happening, and in recent weeks, the media has been shining a spotlight on some of the most cynical deployment of these funds towards profits over patients. <Read More>
HHS Files Brief in 340B Rebate Model Case – March 17, 2025 – The Department of Health and Human Services said its decision to prevent drug companies from implementing a 340B rebate model “was within its statutory authority,” according to a department brief filed March 17 with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition, the brief said the drug companies’ “proposed cash rebate models would have upended the way the 340B Program has operated for more than thirty years” and the agency’s decision to prevent the models from being implemented was “not arbitrary and capricious.” The HHS brief is in cases brought by Eli Lilly, Bristol Meyers Squibb and Novartis. <Read More>
