Joshua Fitch, Senior Editor

A new nonprofit organization is hoping to limit financial restrictions when it comes to pediatric mental health care.

The FDA has issued a Dear Healthcare Provider Letter highlighting information about the use of probiotics in preterm infants and the risk for potentially fatal disease caused by bacteria or fungi contained in these products. 

Individuals 12 years and older can now receive the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted (2023-2024 Formula) (NVX-CoV2601) to protect against variants that are currently circulating, after receiving an Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA.

The degree of toxicity following pediatric ingestion of THC was correlated to the dose of THC, as ingestions of 1.7 mg/kg or more were predictive of severe and prolonged toxicity, according to a study published in Pediatrics.

Through a randomized, multicenter, open-label, controlled study, investigators determined there were no suggestions of important differences for very preterm infant body composition when comparing an exclusive human milk diet to a diet containing cow milk products.

Tocilizumab-bavi (Tofidence; Biogen) demonstrated a biosimilarity to tocilizumab (Actemra; Genentech) based on multifaceted clinical and non-clinical data for polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (PJIA) and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) in children aged 2 years and up. This makes it the first tocilizumab biosimilar to be FDA-approved in the United States, according to Biogen.

Review some of the top stories from the Contemporary Pediatrics website over the last week, and catch up on anything you may have missed.

Fitness benefits of additional after-school physical activity were observed for school children in China compared to choice of activity, while academic performance was not compromised according to a recently published study in JAMA Pediatrics.

In this Contemporary Pediatrics® interview, Rupa Wong, MD, discusses the recent FDA approval of phentolamine ophthalmic solution 0.75% eye drops to treat pharmacologically-induced mydriasis, and how this could impact the treatment landscape for the pediatric population. [Editor's note: RYZUMVI was previously known as Nyxol, which is referenced in the interview.]

Results from the phase 3 MIRA-4 pediatric trial demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile with no reported adverse events. Rupa Wong, MD, offers thoughts on the approval, and why it may not change day-to-day practice when it comes to the pediatric population.

In collaboration with Contemporary Pediatrics, Contemporary OB/GYN, and Contagion, Tina Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS, discusses the benefits of having new tools to fight RSV in infants, potential vaccine hesitancy, and RSV trends currently being observed.

Peter C. Jenkins, MD, MSc, details his study recently published in Jama Network Open, evaluating associations between pediatric emergency department readiness and mortality, and if children of all races benefited equitably.

James Wallace, MD, explains the various negative effects associated with school avoidance and how primary health care providers, along with parents, can catch early signs of social and separation anxiety.

The number of children who received a T1D diagnosis did not differ from children with and without SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Ahead of the first fall and winter virus seasons in which vaccines are available for COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending Pfizer’s maternal vaccine to protect newborns from severe RSV illness.

In this Contemporary Pediatrics interview, James Wallace, MD, discusses increased trends in school avoidance and the negative effects associated with less days in the classroom.

Positive topline results from a pair of identical phase 3 trials support the submission of a supplemental New Drug Application to the FDA for Arcutis Biotherapeutics’ roflumilast cream 0.15%, a once-daily topical to treat mild to moderate atopic dermatitis (AD) in children 6 years or older.

Based on recent positive phase 3 results, Arcutis Biotherapeutics,. intends to submit a supplemental New Drug Application with the FDA for roflumilast cream 0.05% to treat mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children aged 2 to 5 years.

The FDA issued the Complete Response Letter (CRL) based on the request for a completed pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic study to assess how repeat doses of the epinephrine nasal spray compare to repeat doses of an epinephrine injection product. ARS Pharma is set to file a Formal Dispute Resolution Request to appeal the CRL.

Francheska M. Merced-Nieves, PhD, Assistant professor, Departments of Pediatrics and the Institute for Exposomic Research of Environmental Medicine & Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explains the associations prenatal exposure to a metal mixture and the potential negative effects for the infant.

According to a recent C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, the recent wildfires and extreme weather events that are creating poor or unhealthy air quality are also causing concern for parents in regards to their children's health.

Standout updates include a relaxed recommendation for patients with a history of egg allergies, and that all available influenza vaccines for the 2023 to 2024 flu season are quadrivalent.

Review some of the top stories from the Contemporary Pediatrics website over the last week, and catch up on anything you may have missed.

Two infant formula products are being voluntarily recalled by the LittleOak Company after the FDA deemed they were illegally sold in the United States.

Surveys collected for a study published in the Canadian Journal of Diabetes revealed that desire for telehealth care amid pediatric diabetes families increased from the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, to more than 1 year later.

In this interview originally conducted by our sister publication Contemporary OB/GYN, Marci Bowers, MD, shares the biggest takeaways from her presentation on transgender reproductive care, presented at the 2023 Society of OB/GYN Hospitalists Annual Clinical Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

Review some of the top stories from the Contemporary Pediatrics website over the last week, and catch up on anything you may have missed.

In this Contemporary Pediatrics interview, Rob Knight, PhD, discusses translating adult studies into children to determine gut microbiome biomarkers, and how they are associated with neurological and cognitive conditions.

Due to increased RSV activity observed in Southeastern regions of the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued an official Health Alert Network Health Advisory. The CDC recommends that clinicians prepare to implement recently FDA-approved prevention methods.

The EarliPoint Evaluation has demonstrated positive phase 3 trial results, aiding in autism diagnosis and assessment in children aged 16 to 30 months. Warren Jones, PhD, chief scientific officer and cofounder of EarliTec Diagnostics, Inc., discusses the eye-tracking tool, how it is currently being used, and what could be in store for the future.