CardioExchange Archive

November 18th, 2014

Don’t Count the Numbers. HDL Function Looks Like the Key

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study offers important evidence explaining the protective role of HDL cholesterol against cardiovascular disease. Previous studies with drugs that increase HDL levels, including niacin and CETP inhibitors, have not been found beneficial. The new study suggests that simply increasing HDL levels isn’t useful. Instead, cholesterol efflux, the ability of HDL to remove cholesterol from […]

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May 5th, 2014

Two Experts Look at a Failed HDL Trial

William Edward Boden, MD and Prediman K Shah, MD

William Boden and PK Shah discuss the CHI-SQUARE trial, which failed to show a benefit for an HDL mimetic.

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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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March 9th, 2013

HPS2-THRIVE: A ‘Disappointing But Clear’ Result

Larry Husten, PHD

For more of our ACC.13 coverage of late-breaking clinical trials, interviews with the authors of the most important research, and blogs from our fellows on the most interesting presentations at the meeting, check out our Coverage Headquarters. The results of HPS2-THRIVE were “disappointing but clear,”  said Jane Armitage, who presented the results this morning at the ACC […]

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February 27th, 2013

HPS2-THRIVE Coming Attraction: What Went Wrong with Niacin?

Larry Husten, PHD

In less than two weeks, on March 9, the main results of the HPS2-THRIVE (Heart Protection Study 2-Treatment of HDL to Reduce the Incidence of Vascular Events) study will be presented in San Francisco at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology. The results have been eagerly awaited since Merck’s brief announcement in December that the trial had not met its primary endpoint and that it […]

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January 15th, 2013

Is HDL Fool’s Gold?

Peter Paul Toth, MD, PhD

Peter P. Toth offers his perspective on recent trials of niacin, including HPS2-THRIVE and AIM-HIGH.

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January 11th, 2013

Merck Starts to Suspend Worldwide Availability of Tredaptive

Larry Husten, PHD

In the wake of the negative HPS2-THRIVE study announced last month, Merck said today that it was beginning to suspend the worldwide availability of Tredaptive, its combination of extended-release niacin and laropiprant. Merck described its decision as being “aligned” with that of the European Medicines Agency’s  Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC), which recommended on Thursday that drugs containing extended-release niacin and laropiprant should be suspended. The drug […]

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January 9th, 2013

Niacin Therapy in the Crossfire

William Edward Boden, MD and Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

William E. Boden, lead investigator of the AIM-HIGH trial, and CardioExchange’s Harlan M. Krumholz debate the current state of research on niacin therapy.

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January 4th, 2013

Why Has Niacin Therapy Failed to THRIVE?

William Edward Boden, MD and John Ryan, MD

In the wake of HPS2-THRIVE, John Ryan asks William E. Boden, lead investigator of the AIM-HIGH trial, for his perspective on niacin and other HDL-modifying therapies.

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December 20th, 2012

HPS2-THRIVE: No Benefit, Signal of Harm for Niacin Therapy

Larry Husten, PHD

The largest-ever study of niacin has failed to show a clinical benefit of niacin and even found a strong signal of harm. Merck announced today that the HPS2-THRIVE (Heart Protection Study 2-Treatment of HDL to Reduce the Incidence of Vascular Events) study did not meet its primary endpoint. In that study, the combination of a statin and Merck’s niacin compound, Tredaptive, a combination of extended-release niacin and […]

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