CardioExchange Archive

Tough Day for Sibutramine– The FDA announced today that sibutramine is now contraindicated for people with cardiovascular disease. Almost simultaneously, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended that sibutramine be withdrawn from European markets.

Abnormal Lipids in Youths– The CDC reported today that 20.3% of U.S. youths aged 12-19 have abnormal lipid levels. The prevalence rose with BMI: 42.9% of obese youths had at least one abnormal lipid level.

NIH Rebukes Baylor– Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is now being closely scrutinized by the NIH following revelations that BCM failed to disclose Merck payments to Baylor cardiologist Christie Ballantyne. The story was covered in Nature News by Brendan Borrell and the Houston Chronicle by Todd Ackerman. In a  January 14 letter, NIH director Francis Collins wrote Senator Grassley that an NIH investigation “raised serious concerns regarding BCM’s compliance” with federal conflict-of-interest regulations. “As a result, the NIH has imposed special award conditions on all BCM grant awards until BCM can assure the NIH that the detected deficiencies noted in their response have been appropriately addressed and BCM can demonstrate compliance…”