Thank you for visiting the Contemporary Pediatrics® website. Take a look at some of our top stories from last week (Monday, October 28, to Friday, November 1, 2024), and click on each link to read and watch anything you may have missed.

In this review article, we highlight a discussion with Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH, regarding once-daily clonidine hydrochloride (ONYDA XR) for ADHD. We also highlight GLP-1 treatment for obesity and the associated lower suicidal ideation risk among adolescents with obesity, plus details on a recent recall of certain baby powder.

Scroll below for more.

Dynacare Baby Powder recalled because of potential asbestos contamination

In a public service announcement, the FDA is sharing Dynarex Corporation's expanded recall of Dynacare Baby Powder, 4 oz and 14 oz because they have the potential to be contaminated with asbestos.

Dynarex stated that the products were sent to distributors via direct deliver after January 18, 2024, to 35 states and Amazon.com. The states include: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI.

Click here for full recall details.

FDA approves fibrin sealant to control surgical bleeding in pediatric patients

The FDA has approved the plasma-protein-based fibrin sealant (FS) (VISTASEAL; Grifols) to control surgical bleeding in pediatric patients, according to a press release from Grifols.

The single-use product can assist with mild-to-moderate bleeding control when standard surgical techniques (suture or cautery) are ineffective. The sealant is applied in a thin layer over bleeding tissue to generate a cross-linked fibrin clot to achieve hemostasis.

In both treatment arms, a more than 95% efficacy rate was achieved, with hemostasis within 4 minutes of application. FS "demonstrated a good safety and tolerability profile, as the distribution of adverse events was comparable between arms," Grifols published in a statement.

Click here for full FDA approval details.

Typical RSV vaccine uptake could lead to fewer pediatric ICU encounters

A recently-published, retrospective study suggested that nirsevimab (Beyfortus; Sanofi and AstraZeneca) and Pfizer's maternal vaccine Abrysvo for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) may be associated with a decrease in pediatric ICU utilization.

"We conducted a retrospective analysis of a national multicenter database to determine the proportion of pediatric ICU encounters with RSV infection and the proportion of ICU encounters with RSV infection eligible for RSV prevention," wrote Shanklin and colleagues. "We also explored the differences in clinical variables and markers of illness severity between these groups."

Click here for full study details and results, as well as comments from Octavio Ramilo, MD, chair, Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee.

GLP-1 treatment lowers suicidal ideation risk by 33% in adolescents with obesity, study finds

In a recent study, treatment with glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) in adolescents with obesity resulted in a 33% lower risk of suicidal ideation or attempts at up to a 3-year follow-up, compared to those who initiated behavioral interventions.

In the United States, liraglutide 3 mg and semaglutide 2.4 mg are approved by the FDA to treat obesity in adolescents with a BMI greater than the 95th percentile for age and sex.

"The neuropsychiatric outcomes associated with GLP1R are not well established, and, to our knowledge, have not been examined exclusively in adolescents," stated the authors. "In this study we conducted a propensity score–matched analysis using a multi-institutional federated health care network to assess the risk for suicidal ideation or attempts following exposure to GLP1R in adolescents with obesity."

Click here for full study details and results.

Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH discusses once-daily clonidine hydrochloride (ONYDA XR) for ADHD

In this Contemporary Pediatrics video interview, Rakesh Jain, MD, MPH, clinical professor, psychiatry, Texas Tech University School of Medicine, discussed the now-available, FDA-approved clonidine hydrochloride (ONYDA XR; Tris Pharma).

The once-a-day extended-release oral suspension with nighttime dosing, is approved to treat Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a monotherapy or as an adjunctive therapy to approved central nervous system (CNS) stimulant medications for patients aged 6 years and older. The oral solution was approved by the federal agency on May 29, 2024, and has been commercially available since October 1, 2024.

Clonidine hydrochloride is the first and only non-stimulant ADHD medication approved in the United States and the only approved non-stimulant ADHD medication with nighttime dosing.

Watch the video above for more details.