Trending News: Several Walmart- and Walgreen-Exclusive Eye Drops Recalled

Several eye drops and ointments exclusively sold at Walmart and Walgreen stores have been recalled because they might not be sterile, according to an article by CNN. Altaire Pharmaceuticals Inc. issued voluntary recalls for various Equate products, including for allergy relief, solutions, eye drops, and gel drops sold at Walmart. The company has also issued recalls for several over-the-counter and prescription eye drops and ophthamlmic ointments under the brand name Walgreens.

The World Health Organization has published an updated list of “essential medicines” today, according to Reuters. The list added drugs for cancer, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease among the treatments that should be seen as the standard. The list also included 5 new cancer therapies based on improved survival rates for lung, blood, and prostate cancers, and recommended 2 new immunotherapies, nivolumab and pembrolizumab.

The FDA has accepted 6 supplemental sBLASs to update the dosing frequency of pembrolizumab to include an every-six-weeks dosing schedule option, according to Merck. If approved, the Q6W dose would be available for use in adults in addition to the currently approved soe of 200 mg every 3 weeks infused over 30 minutes. The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), or target action, date of Feb. 18, 2020.