April 16th, 2015
FDA Approves New Heart Failure Drug
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA on Wednesday approved ivabradine (Corlanor), Amgen’s new heart failure drug. The drug has been available for several years in Europe, where it is sold by Servier under the brand names of Corlentor and Procoralan. Ivabradine was approved for the reduction of hospitalization from worsening heart failure. It is indicated for use in stable heart-failure patients who are in sinus rhythm, have a resting […]
November 24th, 2014
European Review Confirms Increased Risk with Ivabradine
Larry Husten, PHD
Following a review provoked by troubling findings that emerged from a large clinical trial, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is making several recommendations intended to lower the risk of heart problems linked to the heart-rate-lowering drug ivabradine. The drug is marketed by Servier in Europe under the brand names of Corlentor and Procoralan and is indicated for […]
September 15th, 2014
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: September 15th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include prehospital ticagrelor in STEMI, ivabradine in stable CAD without clinical HF, FFR-guided PCI for stable CAD, and more.
August 31st, 2014
SIGNIFY Trial Provokes Sound and Fury Over Controversial Drug
Larry Husten, PHD
The already controversial drug ivabradine just got a little more controversial. The drug, which is marketed by Servier under the brand names of Corlentor and Procoralan, is available in Europe and elsewhere and is used for the treatment of heart failure and stable angina. The drug is not available in the U.S., but it is under development by Amgen for a […]
June 16th, 2014
European Medicines Agency Initiates Review of Ivabradine
Larry Husten, PHD
There may be trouble on the horizon for ivabradine, a heart drug marketed by Servier under the brand names of Corlentor and Procoralan. The drug is widely available in Europe and elsewhere, though it is not available in the U.S., where it is under development by Amgen. Although it hasn’t been widely reported, the European […]
April 17th, 2014
FDA Grants Fast Track Status to Ivabradine
Larry Husten, PHD
Amgen announced yesterday that its new chronic heart failure drug ivabradine had been granted fast track status by the FDA. The company said the fast track designation, which is for drugs that treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need, will aid the development and speed the review of the drug. The company said it planned to file […]
September 4th, 2013
Same Disease, Different Tools
Amanda Ruth Vest, MBBS
The standard pharmacological heart-failure treatment may not have changed much in the U.S. recently, but this fellow discovers different approaches in Europe and some potential new drugs on the horizon.
August 29th, 2010
Downshifting Heart Rate in HF Found Beneficial
Larry Husten, PHD
In the SHIFT trial, Karl Swedberg and colleagues tested the effects of ivabradine, a selective sinus-node inhibitor, in 6558 patients with heart failure who had a heart rate ≥70 bpm. After a median 23 months of follow-up, the rate of cardiovascular death or hospital admission for worsening heart failure was 24% in the ivabradine group […]