November 12th, 2013
Promising GSK Heart Drug Misses Primary Endpoint in 15,000-Patient Trial
Larry Husten, PHD
GlaxoSmithKline announced today that the first of two pivotal phase 3 trials with a new drug, darapladib, had failed to meet its primary endpoint. Full results of the trial will be presented at a scientific meeting. The STABILITY trial (STabilisation of Atherosclerotic plaque By Initiation of darapLadIb TherapY) tested the effect of darapladib, an investigational Lp-PLA2 inhibitor, in more […]
November 12th, 2013
After Long Wait, Updated U.S. Cardiovascular Guidelines Now Emphasize Risk Instead of Targets
Larry Husten, PHD
Updated cardiovascular health guidelines were released today by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The guidelines are designed to provide primary care physicians with evidence-based expert guidance on cholesterol, obesity, risk assessment, and healthy lifestyle. The new guidelines reinforce many of the same messages from previous guidelines, but also […]
November 12th, 2013
Building Quality of Care for Adult Congenital Heart Disease Patients
Michelle Gurvitz, MD MS and Ariane Marelli, MD, FRCP(C), MPH
Michelle Gurvitz and Ariane Marelli discuss their study group’s development of the first set of quality indicators for adult congenital heart disease care.
November 11th, 2013
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: November 11th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topic is the association between testosterone therapy with mortality, MI, and stroke in men with low testosterone.
November 9th, 2013
Yet Another Blow to Combination Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System Blockade
Larry Husten, PHD
ACE inhibitors and angiotensin-receptor blockers have been found to effectively slow progression of kidney disease. It has been theorized that dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) might prove even more beneficial, but these hopes have not been realized. Now a new trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine throws further cold water on the once-promising […]
November 7th, 2013
FDA Seeks to Eliminate Trans Fat from Food in the U.S.
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA said today that it would begin to take efforts to remove trans fat from food in the U.S. The agency has made the “preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods, are not ‘generally recognized as safe’ for use in food.” If the FDA’s preliminary determination is made final then […]
November 6th, 2013
Why Amarin Has To Finish Its Big Fish Oil Study
CardioExchange Editors, Staff
The following post is by Matt Herper, who covers science and medicine for Forbes magazine. When a panel of experts appointed by the Food and Drug Administration said the agency should deny Amarin Pharmaceuticals a broader marketing approval for its fish oil pill Vascepa, the company’s shares tanked 60%, making it the worst-performing biotechnology stock […]
November 5th, 2013
Should You Be Worried About the Treatment for Low-T?
Larry Husten, PHD
The ubiquitous ads ask: “Should I be worried about Low-T”? But now there’s a good chance there’s a more important question: “Should I be worried about the treatment for low-T?” A new study published in JAMA raises the distinct possibility that testosterone therapy may increase the risk for death, heart attack, and stroke. The findings are hardly definitive, but they […]
November 4th, 2013
Healthy Diet in Middle Age Leads to Healthier Old Age
Larry Husten, PHD
New results from a long-running study offer fresh evidence that a “healthy” diet is actually good for you. The study shows that women who followed a healthy diet while in middle age had a much better chance of reaching age 70 without any of the major illnesses or impairments usually associated with old age. In […]
November 4th, 2013
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: November 4th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include an observational study of better diet quality and decreased mortality among MI survivors and a clinical review of circulatory shock.
