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Since its approval in 2019, the drug therapy, Trikafta, has been heralded as a game changer for a majority of those with cystic fibrosis. The disease is caused by defects in a protein that affects the body’s cells and tissues, leading to mucus that accumulates in the lungs and other organs. Trikafta, a combination of three drugs, helps the faulty protein function more effectively. (Daniela J. Lamas, 2/6)

Vaccines are critical and effective tools in our fight against COVID-19, but they cannot be our only tool. It is clear that when the virus evades vaccines (or when people choose not to take them), therapeutics become our best line of defense to prevent hospitalizations and death. (Dr. Jerome Adams, 2/6)

Unlike monoclonal antibodies, which can be defeated by new SARS-CoV-2 variants, CCP collected from vaccinated donors after recent breakthrough infections (VaxCCP) evolves with the variants and retains the ability to neutralize them. (Michael J. Joyner, Nigel Paneth and Arturo Casadevall, 2/6)

The opioid fentanyl was developed in the 1960s and approved for use in 1968. Created to manage cancer pain via a transdermal patch, fentanyl is also used in anesthesia. In 2019, it was the 278th most prescribed medication in the United States, with more than a million prescriptions. (Shane Reeves, 2/3)