A Cochrane systematic review has been published, comparing the efficacy of systemic pharmacological treatments for chronic plaque psoriasis (Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020;1:CD011535).
The paper updates a previous Cochrane review published in 2017, and paves the way for this topic being covered as a ‘living’ systematic …

The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended the granting of a marketing authorisation for oral semaglutide (Rybelsus), for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. It works like endogenous GLP-1 (an incretin hormone) …

The CHMP has recommended a marketing authorisation for bempedoic acid (Nilemdo), a novel lipid-lowering therapy for the treatment of primary hypercholesterolaemia or mixed dyslipidaemia.
Bempedoic acid is an orally available pro-drug that is activated in the liver. It works by inhibiting adenosine triphosphate citrate lyase, an …

A marketing authorisation has also been recommended by the CHMP for Staquis, a new non-steroidal topical treatment for atopic dermatitis (eczema).
Staquis is an ointment containing the active ingredient crisaborole (2%), a small-molecule phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor that suppresses the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as …

In recently published draft guidance for consultation, NICE has not recommended esketamine nasal spray (Spravato) within its marketing authorisation for the treatment of adults with treatment-resistant depression.
Esketamine, a psychoanaleptic drug, is the S enantiomer of ketamine, and about twice as potent as standard ketamine and …

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted the anti-migraine biological therapy fremanezumab (Ajovy) for use within NHS Scotland.
 Fremanezumab is an anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (anti-CGRP) monoclonal antibody. It is indicated for the prophylaxis of migraine in adults who experience at least four headache days a month. …

The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended the granting of a marketing authorisation for a new anti-neovascularisation treatment for wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Brolucizumab (Beovu) is a humanised monoclonal antibody fragment that inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) …

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has advised prescribers that domperidone is no longer licensed for use in children younger than 12 years or for those weighing less than 35kg.
Domperidone is a dopamine antagonist indicated for the relief of symptoms of nausea and …

The CHMP has recommended an extension to the marketing authorisation of apalutamide (Erleada), to include men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, in combination with androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT).
Apalutamide is a selective androgen-receptor inhibitor that works by decreasing prostate cancer cell proliferation and increasing apoptosis. Currently, it …

The CHMP has recommended that the marketing authorisation for ustekinumab (Stelara) be extended to use in children with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis from the age of six years and older who are inadequately controlled by, or intolerant to, other systemic therapies or phototherapies. Previously, …