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May '22 Infectious Disease Update

May 10th 2022

Sanford Guide ID Update features current developments in infectious diseases, curated by the Sanford Guide Editorial Board. Links marked with an asterisk (*) provide details to Web Edition subscribers, while all other links are universal. To sign up for ID updates to your inbox, register here.
 

May 2022

SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19

Sanford Guide SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 material is freely available to all for the course of the pandemic.

  • April 25: The US FDA expands the approval of remdesivir to include pediatric patients ≥28 days of age weighing ≥3 kg with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, who are hospitalized OR not hospitalized and have mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.
  • COVID-19 vaccination in cancer patients: preliminary recommendations from NCCN here.
  • Currently authorized vaccines. See COVID-19 Prevention for table summarizing use and data.
  • ESCMID COVID-19 living guidelines: drug treatment and clinical management (Clin Microbiol Infect 2021 Nov 22 [online ahead of print]). Available at PMC.
  • Guidelines on COVID-19 diagnosis, serology, treatment and management, and infection prevention: IDSA and NIH.
  • Living WHO guideline on drugs for COVID-19 (BMJ 2021;375:n2936).
  • Living WHO guideline on drugs to prevent COVID-19 (BMJ 2021;372:n526). Available here.
  • Living WHO guideline on prophylaxis against COVID-19 (BMJ 2021;373:n949). Available at PMC.
  • Management of hospitalized adults with COVID-19: a European Respiratory Society living guideline (Eur Respir J 2021;57(4):2100048). Available at PMC.

Updated Practice Guidelines

  • Updated clinical practice guidelines for the management of chronic hepatitis B, from the Korean Association for the Study of the Liver (Clin Mol Hepatol 2022;28:276-331). These guidelines update the 2018 release. PDF available here.

Approval of Oteseconazole

  • The US FDA has approved Vivjoa (oteseconazole*) to reduce the incidence of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis* (RVVC) in females with a history of RVVC who are not of reproductive potential. Oteseconazole is a tetrazole antifungal with less affinity for human CYP enzymes. There are two recommended dosage regimens, one with fluconazole (not supplied in the carton) and one without (see drug page for details).

Drug Shortages (US)

  • Antimicrobial drugs or vaccines in reduced supply or unavailable (as of May 7, 2022) due to increased demand, manufacturing delays, product discontinuation by a specific manufacturer, or unspecified reasons:
    • New on the list since April 23, 2022:
      • Cefuroxime injection
    • Shortage recently resolved:
      • Acyclovir injection, Methenamine hippurate tablets
    • Antibacterial and antimycobacterial drugs in continued reduced supply:
      • Aminoglycosides:
        • Amikacin injection
        • Gentamicin injection
        • Gentamicin sulfate 3% ophthalmic ointment
        • Neomycin tablets
        • Tobramycin injection
      • Carbapenems:
        • Meropenem injection
      • Cephalosporins:
        • Cefazolin injection
        • Cefepime injection
        • Cefixime capsules
        • Cefotaxime injection (FDA is allowing temporary importation of product from SteriMax in Canada, in conjunction with Provepharm Life Solutions and its distributor Direct Success. Click here for details),
        • Ceftazidime injection
      • Clindamycin injection
      • Doxycycline oral suspension
      • Fluoroquinolones:
        • Ciprofloxacin 0.3% ophthalmic solution
        • Gemifloxacin tablets
      • Glycopeptides, glycolipopeptides, lipopeptides:
        • Vancomycin injection
      • Macrolides/azalides:
        • Azithromycin ophthalmic solution 1% (unavailable)
      • Metronidazole injection
      • Nitrofurantoin oral suspension
      • Penicillins:
        • Ampicillin-sulbactam injection
        • Dicloxacillin capsules
        • Piperacillin-tazobactam injection
      • Quinupristin-Dalfopristin injection
      • Topical (miscellaneous) antibacterials:
        • Bacitracin ophthalmic ointment
        • Neomycin and Polymyxin B sulfates GU irrigant
        • Sulfacetamide 10%/Prednisolone 0.2% ophthalmic ointment (unavailable)
        • Sulfanilamide 15% vaginal cream (unavailable)
    • Antifungal drugs in continued reduced supply: 
      • Amphotericin B injection
      • Clotrimazole 10 mg oral troches
    • Antimycobacterial drugs in continued reduced supply: 
      • Ethambutol tablets
      • Rifampin capsules
      • Rifampin injection
      • Rifapentine tablets
    • Antiviral drugs in continued reduced supply: 
      • Tocilizumab injection
    • Vaccines in continued reduced supply:
      • None
  • Antimicrobial drugs recently discontinued: 
    • Mupirocin calcium 2% cream (Bactroban [GSK], June 2020)
    • Bacitracin injection (February 2020)
    • Interferon alfa-2b (Intron A, October 2019)
    • Mupirocin calcium 2% nasal ointment (Bactroban Nasal [GSK], August 2019)
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