October 14th, 2011
FDA Advisory Panel Recommends First DES For PAD
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA Circulatory System Devices Panel voted 11-0 on Thursday to support the premarket approval application for the Zilver PTX drug-eluting stent, manufactured by Cook Medical. The self-expanding, paclitaxel-coated stent would be the first DES approved for use in peripheral arterial disease of the above-the-knee femoropopliteal arteries. Cook Medical press release
October 13th, 2011
Coronary Heart Disease Prevalence in U.S. Continues to Decline
Larry Husten, PHD
The prevalence of coronary heart disease in the U.S. continues to drop, according to the CDC. Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys, published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, show a significant decrease in overall CHD prevalence from 6.7% to 6% from 2006 to 2010. In an apparent paradox, the authors note that the decline […]
October 7th, 2011
FDA Approves Juvisync, Combination of Sitagliptin and Simvastatin
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA has approved a fixed-dose combination tablet consisting of sitagliptin and simvastatin, two drugs previously approved for type 2 diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. Merck will market the new drug as Juvisync. “This is the first product to combine a type 2 diabetes drug with a cholesterol lowering drug in one tablet,” said Mary H. Parks, the […]
October 3rd, 2011
Guidelines for Managing Peripheral Artery Disease Updated
Larry Husten, PHD
The ACC and the AHA have released updated guidelines for managing peripheral artery disease (PAD). The document is available online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and in Circulation. The new guidelines place a greater emphasis on tobacco cessation, requesting healthcare providers to consistently ask patients about their smoking status and to offer support to help them […]
September 26th, 2011
Statins for Primary Prevention: The Debate Continues
Larry Husten, PHD
Several leading cardiologists have taken issue with the assertion made by Rita Redberg and the editors of the Archives of Internal Medicine that using statins for primary prevention is an example “of the widespread use of medications with known adverse effects despite the absence of data for patient benefit for these indications.” In a research letter published in the […]
September 22nd, 2011
Diet Drugs Get a New Slim Chance at Approval
Larry Husten, PHD
Contrave, the investigational diet pill combination of naltrexone and bupropion, has been granted a possible new lease on life by the FDA. In January of this year, the FDA issued a complete response letter to Orexigen, the drug’s sponsor. Now Orexigen says that it has received guidance from the FDA that could lead to approval of the […]
September 19th, 2011
“Doc, I Got My Whole Genome Scanned – Now What?”
David Martin, M.D.
What do you do if your patient shows you a commercially produced report of a personal whole genome scan?
September 15th, 2011
Xanthelasmata Identified as Independent CV Risk Factor
Larry Husten, PHD
In a large new study from Denmark, xanthelasmata (raised yellow patches around the eyelids) but not arcus cornae (white or grey rings around the cornea) was found to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In an article in BMJ, Mette Christoffersen and colleagues report on 12,745 adults in Copenhagen without cardiovascular disease at baseline who were […]
September 13th, 2011
HHS Announces Initiative to Prevent One Million Heart Attacks and Strokes
Larry Husten, PHD
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is launching a campaign to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes in the next 5 years.
September 2nd, 2011
Rosuvastatin Fails to Best Atorvastatin in IVUS Study of Atherosclerosis Progression
Larry Husten, PHD
AstraZeneca announced today that its lipid-lowering agent rosuvastatin (Crestor) was not superior to atorvastatin (Lipitor, Pfizer) in reducing the progression of atherosclerosis, as assessed by IVUS. The company announced the top-line results of SATURN (Study of Coronary Atheroma by InTravascular Ultrasound: Effect of Rosuvastatin Versus AtorvastatiN), which is scheduled to be presented at the American Heart Association meeting in November. The […]