Larry Husten, PHD
July 29th, 2011
Less May Be More, But Stents Are Neither Good Nor Bad
Larry Husten, PHD
A few days ago, the distinguished healthcare writer Shannon Brownlee wrote a provocative blog post about the overuse of stents. A key piece of evidence that she used was a paper co-authored by Grace Lin and Rita Redberg, in which focus groups of cardiologists cheerfully admitted that they would give stents to hypothetical patients who were, according to the current guidelines, not […]
July 28th, 2011
AstraZeneca Sets Premium Price for Ticagrelor
Larry Husten, PHD
AstraZeneca will be charging a premium price for its new antiplatelet drug ticagrelor (Brilinta). Wall Street analyst Timothy Anderson reports that the daily treatment cost for the drug will be $7.24 on a wholesaler acquisition cost (WAC) basis, which is approximately 20% higher than the daily cost of $6.08 for clopidogrel (Plavix) and about 25% […]
July 27th, 2011
Mixed Results for New Implantable Device to Treat Resistant Hypertension
Larry Husten, PHD
A phase III trial has yielded mixed results for an experimental implantable device that uses baroreflex activation therapy (BAT) to treat resistant hypertension. The article on the manufacturer-funded Rheos Pivotal Trial, by John Bisognano and colleagues, has been published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The Rheos device was implanted in 265 […]
July 26th, 2011
Coronary and Cerebrovascular Disease May Differ in Their Heritability
Larry Husten, PHD
Although coronary and cerebrovascular disease usually receive equal weight when family history is assessed as a risk factor, a new study suggests that family history may play a more important role in MI and ACS than in stroke or TIA. In an article published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, Amitava Banerjee and colleagues report the results of […]
July 25th, 2011
Adding HbA1c Measurements Improves CV Risk Prediction in Diabetics
Larry Husten, PHD
Current risk prediction models classify diabetes as equivalent to established cardiovascular disease. Now, a new report from the Women’s Health Study and the Physician’s Health Study II suggests that adding HbA1c measurements to the model can improve risk prediction and lead to downward classification of some diabetics. In a paper published in Archives of Internal Medicine, […]
July 24th, 2011
APPRAISE-2 Dashes Hope of Adding Anticoagulant to Antiplatelet Therapy in ACS
Larry Husten, PHD
A large phase 3 trial of an investigational factor Xa inhibitor, when added to antiplatelet therapy in ACS patients, was stopped early because of bleeding complications.
July 21st, 2011
FDA and EMA Issue Updates on Dronedarone, Varenicline, and Pioglitazone
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA has issued an update on dronedarone (Multaq, Sanofi Aventis), and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has updated its reviews of dronedarone and 2 other drugs that also have been the subject of recent controversies: pioglitazone (Actos and other names, Takeda) and varenicline (Champix, Pfizer). The FDA and dronedarone: The FDA issued a safety communication about […]
July 21st, 2011
Carotid IMT Provides Modest Improvement to Risk Prediction
Larry Husten, PHD
Measurement of the maximum intima–media thickness (IMT) of the internal carotid artery (CA) can modestly improve cardiovascular risk prediction, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Joseph Polak and colleagues measured the mean IMT of the common CA and the maximum IMT of the internal CA of 2965 subjects […]
July 21st, 2011
Sapien Transcatheter Heart Valve Receives Strong Support from FDA Advisory Panel
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA Circulatory Systems Devices Panel has given a strong vote of support in favor of the Sapien Transcatheter Heart Valve (THV) for use in patients with inoperable severe aortic stenosis and with no comorbidities precluding benefit from correction of the stenosis. By large majorities, the panel voted that the procedure was safe (7-3), that […]
July 20th, 2011
Ticagrelor (Brilinta) Gains FDA Approval
Larry Husten, PHD
With the FDA approval, will you be using this drug in your practice?
NEJM Journal Watch — Recent Cardiology Articles- A New Single-Pill Three-Drug Combination for Hypertension
- Does Frailty Increase PCI Risk?
- Cardiovascular Complications in Adults with Down Syndrome
- Choosing a Long-Term Antiplatelet Regimen After PCI: A Patient-Level Meta-Analysis
- Does Elevated Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Predict Worse Outcomes in Acute Myocarditis?