CardioExchange Archive

July 16th, 2013

What You Need To Know About Statins

Huseyin Naci, MHS, PhD Candidate, Jasper Brugts, Md phd msc and Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

The authors of the largest meta-analysis to date on the side effects of statins discuss their findings and weigh the risks and benefits of statins for primary prevention.

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July 11th, 2013

Link to Prostate Cancer Brings More Bad News for Fish-Oil Story

Larry Husten, PHD

Adding more confusion to an already fishy story, a new study has found a significant association between omega-3 fatty acids and the risk of prostate cancer. Although the link had been previously observed, the finding surprised the investigators, who wrote that “these findings contradict the expectation that high consumption of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and low consumption […]

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July 9th, 2013

Low Rate of Problems with Statins in Study of Quarter Million Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

A very large analysis of previously published studies finds that statins are generally safe and well tolerated, but helps confirm previous links to a small increased risk for diabetes and elevation of liver enzymes. Some statins were better tolerated than others, and lower-dose statins were better tolerated than high doses. In a paper published in Circulation: Cardiovascular […]

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July 9th, 2013

Look AHEAD: More Questions Than Answers

Kasia Lipska, MD, MHS

Reflecting on the LOOK AHEAD trial, an endocrinologist asks some important questions: Should we hold lifestyle interventions to the same high standards of scrutiny as pharmacological interventions? Don’t we already have enough evidence about the impact of lifestyle interventions to implement them in care?

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June 28th, 2013

More Bad News for HDL Therapies: ASSURE Trial Misses Primary Endpoint

Larry Husten, PHD

The string of bad news for HDL-related therapies continues. Resverlogix yesterday announced that the ASSURE clinical trial had failed to meet its primary endpoint. RVX-208, the drug being studied in the trial, is a novel small molecule that increases production of Apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-1), which raises HDL levels and is thought to enhance reverse cholesterol transport. ASSURE was a […]

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June 26th, 2013

Some Patients with Minor Stroke or TIA May Benefit from Early Clopidogrel and Aspirin

Larry Husten, PHD

Some people with minor ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) may benefit from dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel, according to a large new study from China published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the immediate period following a TIA or minor stroke, people are at high risk for having a major stroke. Aspirin […]

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June 24th, 2013

Large NIH Trial Finds No Cardiovascular Benefits for Weight Loss and Exercise in Type 2 Diabetics

Larry Husten, PHD

A large NIH-sponsored trial has found that an intensive lifestyle intervention was no better than standard care in reducing cardiovascular events in people with type 2 diabetes. The results of the Look AHEAD trial were presented today at the American Diabetes Association meeting and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. A total of 5,145 people with type 2 […]

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June 20th, 2013

Hypertension and Cholesterol Guidelines Delayed Again as NHLBI Gets Out of the Guidelines Business

Larry Husten, PHD

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) will no longer issue guidelines, including the much-delayed and much-anticipated hypertension (JNC 8) and cholesterol (ATP 4) guidelines. Instead, the NHLBI will perform systematic evidence reviews that other organizations, including the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, will use as a resource for their own guidelines. The […]

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June 19th, 2013

Top-Line Results: No Cardiovascular Benefits Found For Saxagliptin

Larry Husten, PHD

Top-line results of a large phase 4 study with saxagliptin (Onglyza, Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca) demonstrate that the drug is safe but has no cardiovascular benefits. AstraZeneca and Bristol-Myers Squibb today announced the top-line results for the SAVOR-TIMI-53 Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial of Onglyza®. The full results are scheduled to presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Amsterdam on September 2 […]

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June 18th, 2013

Statin Toxicity Associated with CYP3A4-Inhibiting Antibiotics

Higher rates of hospitalization for rhabdomyolysis occur among patients on statins who also start taking clarithromycin or erythromycin, which inhibit statin metabolism, according to an Annals of Internal Medicine study. Using provincial databases, researchers examined 30-day outcomes among some 140,000 Ontario residents who were taking a statin metabolized by the cytochrome P450 isoenzyme 3A4 (CYP3A4). All […]

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