{"title":"Baxdrostat and selective aldosterone synthase inhibition in hard-to-control hypertension: mechanism, evidence, safety, and future clinical positioning.","authors":"Aziz Ullah","doi":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2706729","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2706729","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Hard-to-control hypertension remains a major therapeutic problem despite wide availability of inexpensive antihypertensive drugs. Aldosterone dysregulation contributes to sodium retention, vascular injury, renal risk, and resistance to multidrug therapy, but mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists are limited by hyperkalemia, endocrine adverse effects, and tolerability concerns.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This Drug Evaluation reviews baxdrostat, an oral selective aldosterone synthase inhibitor approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 18 May 2026 as add-on treatment for adults with hypertension inadequately controlled on other antihypertensive medicines. Regulatory status outside the United States may differ. The review covers mechanistic rationale, CYP11B2 selectivity, pharmacology, dosing, clinical efficacy, safety, monitoring, regulatory status, and comparative clinical positioning. A structured narrative search of PubMed/MEDLINE, ClinicalTrials.gov, and regulatory sources was conducted from database inception through 13 July 2026.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Baxdrostat provides a mechanistically distinct approach to lowering aldosterone while comparatively sparing cortisol synthesis. Its current role is as a monitored add-on therapy for true uncontrolled or resistant hypertension after optimization of established treatment, particularly when an aldosterone-associated phenotype is suspected or mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists are not tolerated. Albuminuria findings remain hypothesis-generating. Long-term value depends on electrolyte safety, comparative effectiveness, and demonstration of cardiovascular and renal outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12184,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"1331-1340"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148469738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stephanie M Mueller, Maryam H Kamel, Seungwon Lee, Sophie Parsa, Dennis P Orgill
{"title":"Wound healing pharmacotherapies: what can we expect for 2026?","authors":"Stephanie M Mueller, Maryam H Kamel, Seungwon Lee, Sophie Parsa, Dennis P Orgill","doi":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2706077","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2706077","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12184,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"1223-1226"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148520369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dushyantha T Jayaweera, Maha AlBukhari, Fernanda Pabon, Avishka Jayasekera, Chunming Dong, Giselle Galo, Shaoli Chaudhuri
{"title":"Evaluating the combination of bictegravir and lenacapavir as a single tablet option for HIV.","authors":"Dushyantha T Jayaweera, Maha AlBukhari, Fernanda Pabon, Avishka Jayasekera, Chunming Dong, Giselle Galo, Shaoli Chaudhuri","doi":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2708165","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2708165","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>HIV treatment is evolving toward simplified regimens with fewer agents, improved tolerability, and activity against resistant virus. This review evaluates the potential clinical role of lenacapavir (LEN), a capsid inhibitor, combined with bictegravir (BIC), an integrase strand transfer inhibitor, as a single-tablet regimen (STR) for HIV treatment.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This review summarizes the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, safety, resistance profile, and comparative therapeutic landscape of LEN and BIC, and discusses their potential integration into future HIV treatment strategies.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Current HIV therapy is dominated by highly effective and well-tolerated STRs with high barriers to resistance. However, unmet needs remain for individuals with resistant virus, intolerance to injectables, or preference for regimens with fewer agents. The LEN/BIC combination represents a potentially potent and well-tolerated STR with activity against multidrug-resistant HIV. BIC provides a high genetic barrier to resistance, while LEN's prolonged half-life may offer pharmacologic forgiveness. Nevertheless, important challenges remain, with limited data, clinically significant drug-drug interactions related to LEN metabolism and its potential for resistance emergence. Future HIV therapy will evolve toward increasingly personalized treatment integrating daily oral, extended-interval oral, and long-acting injectables. Within this evolving paradigm, LEN/BIC will expand therapeutic options and advance patient-centered HIV care.</p>","PeriodicalId":12184,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"1231-1241"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148864323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pharmacological management of Crohn's-like disease of the pouch: a phenotype-based review.","authors":"Logan Kratzer, Miles P Sparrow, Zaid Ardalan","doi":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2715705","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2715705","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Crohn's-like disease of the pouch (CLDP) is an important long-term complication following ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) for ulcerative colitis, associated with significant morbidity, impaired quality of life, and increased risk of pouch failure. Diagnosis remains challenging, in part due to heterogeneity in diagnostic criteria, and management is largely phenotype-driven and requires a multidisciplinary approach integrating medical, endoscopic, radiologic, dietary, and surgical therapies.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This narrative review is based on a literature search of PubMed and Scopus up to May 2026. The review summarizes the current evidence regarding pharmacological management of CLDP, including antibiotics, corticosteroids, immunomodulators, biologic therapies, and small molecules, alongside emerging data regarding dietary, endoscopic, and surgical interventions. Observational evidence suggests anti-TNF and interleukin-directed therapies demonstrate the strongest effectiveness signals, particularly in penetrating and fibrostenotic phenotypes, while vedolizumab may be most efficacious in inflammatory-predominant disease. However, interpretation remains limited by the absence of randomized controlled trials, inconsistent diagnostic criteria, heterogeneous phenotype composition, and the lack of phenotype-specific outcome reporting.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Future progress in the field will depend on development of standardized diagnostic criteria, routine phenotype-specific outcome reporting, phenotype-based treatment algorithms, and prospective multicenter studies to better define optimal therapeutic sequencing and long-term pouch outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12184,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"1341-1352"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148683908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Statement of Retraction: Combined use of ultra-short acting β-blocker esmolol and intravenous phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitor enoximone.","authors":"","doi":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2671545","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2671545","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12184,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"i"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147835464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Emerging pharmacotherapies for androgenetic alopecia.","authors":"Akriti Agrawal, Emilee M Dreifus, Antonella Tosti","doi":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2690108","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2690108","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common form of hair loss, characterized by androgen-dependent follicular miniaturization. To date, topical and oral minoxidil, 5-α-reductase inhibitors and oral antiandrogens remain the mainstay of treatment, but research is progressing fast in the search of new mechanism-targeted pharmacotherapies.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This article summarizes emerging therapies for AGA and highlights their underlying mechanisms. A targeted review was conducted of PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, Food and Drug Administration available resources, company-press releases and published abstracts from database inception through December 2025.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Recent advances in hair biology and drug development have led to a paradigm shift toward new strategies to prevent androgen effects on the follicle, improve minoxidil delivery, activate follicle stem cells and prevent follicular apoptosis. These include topical androgen-receptor antagonists and degraders (clascoterone, GT20029), biologics targeting prolactin receptor inhibition (HMI-115, ABS-201), anagen-inducing injectables (AMP-303), metabolic and follicular activators (PP405, ET-02), thyroid hormone receptor-β agonists (KB-141), optimized potassium channel opener delivery systems (extended-release and sublingual minoxidil) and modulation of longevity pathways using rapamycin and metformin. Collectively, these newer pharmacotherapeutics aim to improve efficacy, safety, and patient adherence. Ongoing and future clinical trials will determine their definitive role in reshaping the therapeutic landscape of androgenetic alopecia.</p>","PeriodicalId":12184,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"929-939"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148249823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pharmacotherapeutic strategies for the management of congenital adrenal hyperplasia.","authors":"Wen Huey Goai, David J Torpy","doi":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2695099","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2695099","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) is characterized by impaired cortisol synthesis and excess adrenal androgen production. Current management relies on adrenal hormone replacement, however, achieving adequate androgen suppression often requires supraphysiologic glucocorticoid dosing with a risk of long-term morbidity.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This review discusses current evidence on pharmacotherapeutic strategies for 21OHD, including evolving glucocorticoid formulations and delivery methods, as well as both established and emerging non-glucocorticoid therapies. The articles included in this review were identified through a PubMed search conducted up to April 2026.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Glucocorticoids remain the cornerstone of therapy but are inherently limited by dose-dependent adverse effects. Emerging non-glucocorticoid agents such as the corticotropin-releasing factor type 1 (CRF<sub>1</sub>) receptor and melanocortin type 2 receptor (MC2R) antagonists represent the most clinically advanced strategy to reduce androgen excess, while enabling glucocorticoid dose reduction, and are likely to redefine standard care. Upstream targeting of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is expected to supersede downstream anti-androgen approaches. Future management will likely involve combination pharmacotherapies directed at the hypothalamic axis. Eventual use of <i>CYP21A2</i> gene therapies may offer disease modification.</p>","PeriodicalId":12184,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"979-993"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148338305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How are developments in the treatment armamentarium of hyperphosphatemia addressing the current therapeutic challenges?","authors":"Lorenza Magagnoli, Paola Ciceri, Mario Cozzolino","doi":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2688300","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2688300","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12184,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"853-856"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148210752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Suzetrigine and the emergence of selective NaV1.8 inhibition in acute pain pharmacotherapy: efficacy, safety, and future clinical positioning.","authors":"Wajid Zaman, Asma Ayaz","doi":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2689163","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2689163","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Acute pain remains a major clinical problem worldwide across postoperative and other acute-care settings, yet current therapies are often limited by inadequate efficacy, opioid-related risks, central nervous system adverse effects, or gastrointestinal, renal, and hepatic toxicity associated with conventional non-opioid analgesics. Suzetrigine (Journavx) is a first-in-class, non-opioid sodium channel blocker approved for moderate-to-severe acute pain in adults, with pivotal evidence from postoperative pain models, introducing selective NaV1.8 inhibition as a novel pharmacologic strategy in acute pain management.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This review evaluates the mechanistic rationale, clinical pharmacology, efficacy, safety, and likely therapeutic positioning of suzetrigine. Particular emphasis is placed on its selective peripheral analgesic mechanism, short-course oral dosing strategy, and pivotal randomized postoperative pain trials following full abdominoplasty and bunionectomy. The review also considers analgesic magnitude, onset of pain relief, active-comparator interpretation, CYP3A-mediated interactions, hepatic-impairment precautions, duration-of-use limits, and the potential role of suzetrigine within opioid-sparing and multimodal analgesic strategies.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Suzetrigine is important less as a replacement for existing therapies than as a new peripheral, non-opioid analgesic pathway. Its long-term clinical value will depend on comparative effectiveness, real-world uptake, cost, and demonstrable reduction in opioid use or opioid-related adverse events in routine care.</p>","PeriodicalId":12184,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"967-978"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148224083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Georgios D Panos, Iordanis Vagiakis, Theodoros Empeslidis, Winfried Amoaku, Anastasios G Konstas
{"title":"Retinal anti-VEGF treatment now, and what next? From loading doses to long-game thinking.","authors":"Georgios D Panos, Iordanis Vagiakis, Theodoros Empeslidis, Winfried Amoaku, Anastasios G Konstas","doi":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2695091","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14656566.2026.2695091","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12184,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy","volume":" ","pages":"857-860"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148307860","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}