CardioExchange Archive

May 2nd, 2011

FDA Approves New Drug for Type 2 Diabetes

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA announced today that it has approved linagliptin, a new drug for type 2 diabetes. The DPP-4 inhibitor was developed by Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim and will be sold under the brand name of Tradjenta. Linagliptin was studied in 3,800 patients with type 2 diabetes, the FDA said, and was better than placebo in […]

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May 1st, 2011

Don’t Miss the New AHA Recommendations on Triglycerides

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

I’ve been surprised at the lack of fanfare surrounding the American Heart Association’s recently published scientific statement on triglycerides and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The attention it did receive focused on the lower fasting triglyceride level that is now considered optimal: <100 mg/dL. In my opinion, the real headline was the committee’s important statements in support of […]

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April 27th, 2011

Large Meta-Analysis Finds No Link Between ARBs and MI Risk

Larry Husten, PHD

Angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) don’t increase the risk for MI, according to a large new meta-analysis published in BMJ. Concerns about ARBs and MI have lingered since the VALUE trial in 2004 found a 19% increase in the risk for MI, though subsequent trials have not reinforced the finding. Sripal Bangalore and colleagues combined data from 37 […]

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April 26th, 2011

FDA Briefs: New Stent Approved, Advisory Committee Meeting on ACCORD Lipid

Larry Husten, PHD

Boston Scientific said on Monday that it had received FDA approval for a third-generation drug-eluting stent, the ION Paclitaxel-Eluting Platinum Chromium Coronary Stent System. The “unique platinum chromium (PtCr) alloy” is specifically designed for use in the coronary arteries. The FDA announced that the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee would meet on May 19 to […]

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April 25th, 2011

ACC and AHA Publish Expert Consensus Document on Hypertension in the Elderly

Larry Husten, PHD

Although 64% of elderly men and 78% of elderly women have hypertension, this was not considered a significant clinical problem until 2008, when the Hypertension in the Very Elderly Trial (HYVET) trial demonstrated the substantial benefits of reducing blood pressure in these patients. Largely in response to HYVET, the ACC and the AHA have published […]

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April 22nd, 2011

Diet and Cardiovascular Health: What’s the Bottom Line?

Eric Rimm, ScD

CardioExchange welcomes Dr. Eric Rimm, Sc.D., the director of the Program in Cardiovascular Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health and a member of the USDA’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Dr. Rimm answers Associate Editor Susan Cheng’s questions about the DGAC’s 2010 report. We welcome you to offer your own questions and opinions. Background: The 2010 USDA […]

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April 21st, 2011

CDC: Half the U.S. Now Protected by Comprehensive Smoke-Free Laws

Larry Husten, PHD

According to a CDC analysis in MMWR, nearly half the U.S. population is now protected from second-hand smoke by comprehensive laws that restrict smoking in three venues (private sector worksites, restaurants, and bars). If the current trend continues, all 50 states and the District of Columbia will be smoke-free by 2020. The first [statewide] law prohibiting […]

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April 20th, 2011

New WHI Analysis Links Calcium Supplements to CV Risk

Larry Husten, PHD

A new analysis may renew concerns that the combination of calcium supplements and vitamin D might increase cardiovascular risk. The link has been proposed before, but the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) found no additional risk. Now, however, in an article appearing in BMJ, Mark Bolland and colleagues point out that more than half the 36,000 […]

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April 18th, 2011

100 Is the New 150: AHA Lowers Optimal Triglyceride Level

Larry Husten, PHD

In a newly released scientific statement on triglycerides, the AHA recommends that 100 mg/dL replace 150 mg/dL as the upper limit for the “optimal level” for triglycerides. But, the statement acknowledges, the cut point should not be used as a therapeutic target for drug therapy, “because there is insufficient evidence that lowering triglyceride levels” can […]

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April 14th, 2011

Sugar Is Not So Sweet

Larry Husten, PHD

You may want to skip your Sunday sweet this week. On Sunday, the New York Times magazine section will publish a major assault on sugar by the veteran and often controversial journalist Gary Taubes. In a long and detailed feature article, Taubes outlines the case for the prosecution against sugar, along with its nearly identical […]

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