We still have a long way to go in eradicating diseases that have been plaguing us for the past century. Cancer is one name that springs to mind. We have spent decades fighting this monster, and to limited avail. It continues to devour lives at an alarming pace.
Cancer is not the only one though. We also have Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and many more, that have stumped us for a while. While we have learnt to slow down the progression of these diseases and take reasonable precautionary measures, we have not succeeded in eradicating them.
That is why new drug innovations are so vital in today’s world. As the leading innovator in the world, the United States has a lot of responsibility to bear on this front. In this post, we look at 2018’s newly approved drugs by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
Crysvita
Crysvita is a new drug developed by the company Ultragenyx for the treatment of a rare genetic disease called X-linked hypophosphatemia. It is a bone disease caused by a growth inhibiting hormone that affects children as young as 1 year old. The drug aims to counteract the effect of this hormone and stimulate growth.
Trogarzo
Trogarzo is a drug against a type of HIV-1 infection that is normally resistant to drugs, developed by the pharmaceutical company TaiMed Biologics Inc. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a dreaded disease. It has stalled the development of many economies in Asia, Africa and Latin America. It is perhaps the biggest worry to human beings. Trogarzo is intended for the treatment of HIV-1 infection.
Nivestym
Nivestym is pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s latest innovation. The drug is mainly intended to be used in chemotherapy for myeloid leukemia, although it can also be used for fighting against neutropenia. The drug has to be administrated carefully, and it is worth remembering that any drug in the fight against cancer is manufactured to be extremely effective and strong, and will have side-effects. Make sure you are fully aware of these.
Braftovi
Braftovi is a capsule-form drug that is used in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. Manufactured by Array Biopharma Inc., this has been one of the breakthrough innovations of 2018. Melanoma, especially in its late stages, is a dreary proposition. As mentioned before with Nivestym, ensure you fully know the side effects of this one.
We can’t stress enough the need for full research before consuming any of these drugs. We know that these are only consumed in the worst of times and you have a prescription, but self-research is equally important.