Preview the new medications of 2021, as we reach the halfway point of the year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is constantly reviewing and approving new medications and the number of medications approved in recent years, has drastically increased. Keeping up with all the changes can be a full-time job. In this post, we look at the most recent approvals to keep you informed and help you keep your patients safe.

How do you keep your staff informed and prepared to perform medication reconciliation? Medication reconciliation is not only a standard of practice, it’s an expectation of the licensing and accrediting organizations such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) and The Joint Commission (TJC),

It’s imperative that medication reconciliation be comprehensive and consistent. When patients present their most current medication list, how often do you know every medication on the list? With the speed of new medication approvals, there’s no shame in admitting that sometimes you have to look it up. When the FDA approves new products, it often leads to additional treatment options for providers and patients alike, but it does make the reconciliation process more difficult.

Because the medication reconciliation process is so critical to patient safety, each year we provide our clients with a reference tool of the newest medications on the market. This tool serves multiple purposes, it educates, it helps with medication reconciliation and is a great reference for all staff members. As you’d expect, we will provide the complete tool at the end of the year. In the meantime, below is a simple list of the medications the FDA has approved so far this year and their use (Current as of June 15, 2021).

For complete information on each of these medications, please refer to the FDA website and the FDA-Approved Prescribing Information. If you have questions or would like a copy of our reference tool, please reach out to us for more information.

The Consultant Pharmacists at OctariusRx provide guidance on safe medication management, survey readiness and cost savings to ambulatory healthcare facilities/surgery centers, senior care facilities and pharmacies. We also help individual patients optimize their medications to improve their quality of life and save money. Contact us for assistance.