Recent new drug approvals

1. Icosapent ethyl (Vascepa)

• Indication: Adjunct to diet to reduce triglyceride (TG) levels in adult patients with severe (≥500mg/dL) hypertriglyceridemia. 
• Pharmacology: Icosapent ethyl is an ethyl ester of the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).
• Studies suggest that eicosapentaenoic acid reduces hepatic very low-density lipoprotein triglycerides (VLDL-TG) synthesis and/or secretion and enhances TG clearance from circulating VLDL particles.
• Potential mechanisms of action include 
• increased ß-oxidation;
•  inhibition of acyl-CoA:1,2-diacylglycerol acyl­transferase (DGAT); 
• decreased lipogenesis in the liver; and
•  increased plasma lipoprotein lipase activity.

2. Cabozantinib (Cometriq)

• Indication

  :

Treatment of progressive, metastatic medullary thyroid cancer.

• Pharmacology:

• Cabozantinib inhibits the tyrosine kinase activity of RET, MET, VEGFR-1, -2 and -3, KIT, TRKB, FLT-3, AXL, and TIE-2. 
• These receptor tyrosine kinases are involved in both normal cellular function and pathologic processes such as oncogenesis, metastasis, tumor angiogenesis, and maintenance of the tumor microenvironment.