Nitazoxanide (Alinia - Romark Labs), a new antiparasitic drug, has been approved by the FDA in a liquid formulation for treatment of diarrhea caused by Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia in children 1 to 11 years old. It is the first drug approved for treatment of cryptosporidiosis and the first to become available as a liquid for treatment of giardiasis. The FDA is reviewing a tablet formulation of nitazoxanide for use in adults.

The FDA has approved a fixed-dose combination of omeprazole, amoxicillin, and rifabutin (Talicia – RedHill) for treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in adults. Talicia is the first rifabutin-based product to be approved for this indication.

The FDA has approved ceftazidime/avibactam (Avycaz – Actavis) for IV treatment of complicated urinary tract and intra-abdominal infections in adults who have limited or no other treatment options. Ceftolozane/tazobactam (Zerbaxa – Cubist), another cephalosporin/beta-lactamase inhibitor combination, was approved in 2014.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most common GI condition encountered in the outpatient setting; it affects about 20% of people in the US.

View the Comparison Table: Some Topical Drugs for Rosacea

The FDA has approved a new 550-mg tablet of rifaximin (Xifaxan – Salix), a minimally absorbed oral antibiotic, to reduce the risk of recurrent hepatic encephalopathy (HE). A 200-mg tablet has been available for treatment of travelers’ diarrhea since 2004.

The FDA has warned that use of the macrolide antibiotic clarithromycin (Biaxin, and generics) may increase the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients with heart disease.

The FDA has approved vonoprazan, a potassium-competitive acid blocker, copackaged with amoxicillin (Voquezna Dual Pak – Phathom) and with amoxicillin and clarithromycin (Voquezna Triple Pak) for treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in adults. Vonoprazan is the first potassium-competitive acid blocker to be approved in the US. It has been available in Japan for treatment of various acid-related disorders since 2014. Vonoprazan is not available alone in the US.

The FDA has approved the selective alpha₂-adrenergic receptor agonist brimonidine as a 0.33% gel (Mirvaso – Galderma) for topical treatment of adults with persistent facial erythema of rosacea. Brimonidine is also available in ophthalmic formulations for treatment of glaucoma.

Piperacillin/tazobactam (Zosyn - Lederle), an antibiotic combination product, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for intravenous treatment of intra-abdominal, pelvic, skin, and skin-structure infections and for community-acquired pneumonia of moderate severity.