CardioExchange Archive

July 4th, 2011

Meta-Analysis: Increased CV Risk Associated with Varenicline (Chantix)

Larry Husten, PHD

The anti-smoking drug varenicline (Chantix, Pfizer) is associated with an increased risk for serious adverse cardiovascular events, according to a new meta-analysis published in CMAJ. In the meta-analysis, Sonal Singh and colleagues analyzed data from 14 double-blind randomized trials involving 8216 subjects. The rate of serious adverse cardiovascular events was 1.06% (52/4908) among varenicline recipients versus […]

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July 1st, 2011

Rivaroxaban (Xarelto) Gains First FDA Approval for DVT Prevention

Larry Husten, PHD

Rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Janssen) received FDA approval today for the prevention of deep-vein thrombosis in patients undergoing knee or hip replacement surgery. This oral anticoagulant has been approved for use at a 10-mg dose, once daily, for 35 days following hip replacement and for 12 days following knee replacement surgery. The company has also submitted an application […]

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June 28th, 2011

Diastolic Dysfunction Linked to Mortality

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study sheds light on the prognostic value of diastolic dysfunction (DD) in patients with normal systolic function. In a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Carmel Halley and colleagues reviewed echocardiograms from 36,261 consecutive patients who were found to have normal systolic function. Nearly two thirds (65.2%) had some degree of DD. […]

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June 27th, 2011

Asprin Dosage in U.S. May Explain Disparity in Ticagrelor Results in PLATO

Larry Husten, PHD

Although the PLATO trial demonstrated the overall superiority of ticagrelor (Brilinta, AstraZeneca) to clopidogrel in more than 18,000 acute coronary syndrome patients worldwide, approval of the drug in the U.S. has been delayed because of ticagrelor’s lack of effect in the prespecified subgroup of patients from North America. Now, two analyses of the trial, presented […]

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June 25th, 2011

Limited Benefit Found for Early Aggressive Management of Diabetes

Larry Husten, PHD

In the ADDITION-Europe trial, 3055 patients without diabetes were randomized to either routine care or screening followed by intensive treatment of multiple risk factors. The results were presented at the American Diabetes Association meeting and published online in the Lancet. After five years, cardiovascular risk factors — HbA1c, lipids, and blood pressure — were “slightly but significantly better in the […]

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June 25th, 2011

Diabetes Growth Termed a Rising Global Hazard

Larry Husten, PHD

In 2008, some 347 million people in the world had diabetes, more than twice the 153 million in 1980, according to estimates contained in a report in the Lancet from the Global Burden of Metabolic Risk Factors of Chronic Diseases Collaborating Group. The paper appears in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association. Throughout  the world […]

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June 24th, 2011

FDA Recommends More-Conservative Dosing of ESAs

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA today said that it was recommending more-conservative dosing of ESAs (erythropoiesis-stimulating agents) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The possible beneficial effects of the drugs to decrease the need for transfusions in CKD patients should be weighed against the increased risk for cardiovascular events, the FDA said. ESA therapy should be given at […]

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June 22nd, 2011

Apixaban (Eliquis) Meets Primary Endpoint in ARISTOTLE

Larry Husten, PHD

Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb said that their new oral direct Factor Xa drug apixaban, which will be marketed under the brand name of Eliquis, had met the primary endpoint of the ARISTOTLE study. The Apixaban for the Prevention of Stroke in Subjects With Atrial Fibrillation (ARISTOTLE) study was designed to compare the factor Xa inhibitor apixaban with […]

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June 22nd, 2011

JAMA: Skeptical Perspectives on Consumer Cardiac Tests and Vitamin D

Larry Husten, PHD

Two commentaries published in JAMA offer skeptical perspectives on the roles of direct-to-consumer (DTC) cardiac tests and vitamin D in cardiovascular health. In the first commentary, Kimberly Lovett and Bryan Liang write that DTC screening tests “likely pose more risk than benefit to patients,” and point out that for companies selling these tests there is no requirement […]

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June 21st, 2011

Meta-Analysis Examines Risk of Diabetes Associated with Statins

Larry Husten, PHD

Although the cardiovascular benefits of statin therapy are well-characterized, recent studies have raised concerns that intensive statin therapy increases the risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Now, a new meta-analysis published in JAMA provides a more precise estimate of the risk for diabetes associated with statin therapy and also weighs that risk against the cardiovascular […]

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