CardioExchange Archive

March 20th, 2013

High Potency Statins Linked to Increased Risk for Acute Kidney Injury

Larry Husten, PHD

Although the beneficial effects of high-potency statins have been well-characterized in clinical trials, these same trials have lacked the power to illuminate rare but potentially important adverse events. A suggestion of one such area of concern, acute kidney injury, was first raised in the SATURN trial. Now, a new study published in BMJ provides further information about this area. […]

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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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February 4th, 2013

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: February 4th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include blood transfusion and increased mortality in MI, proteotoxicity and cardiac dysfunction in the elderly, combined fitness and statin treatment on mortality in veterans with dyslipidemia, and more.

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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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November 29th, 2012

Following Earlier Recall, Ranbaxy Halts Manufacturing of Atorvastatin

Larry Husten, PHD

Ranbaxy, the often-troubled manufacturer of generic drugs, will temporarily stop manufacturing generic atorvastatin. On November 9, 2012, the company announced a voluntary recall of some lots of atorvastatin because of possible contamination with glass particles. An FDA statement today said that Ranbaxy will discontinue making the drug “until it has thoroughly investigated the cause of the […]

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November 28th, 2012

Statins and Exercise: Independently Beneficial, Even Better in Combination

Larry Husten, PHD

It’s no secret that statins and exercise are good for people with dyslipidemia. Now a study published in the Lancet offers fresh evidence suggesting that the two may be independently beneficial, and that the two together may yield greater benefits than either alone. U.S. researchers analyzed data from 10,043 people with dyslipidemia treated at either of two Veterans Affairs […]

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November 12th, 2012

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: November 12th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include multivitamins for the prevention of CVD in men, the TRILOGY ACS trial, statin use and reduced cancer mortality, and more.

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November 7th, 2012

Statins Use Linked to Reduction in Cancer Mortality

Larry Husten, PHD

A large new study raises the possibility that statin use may lead to a decline in cancer mortality. Researchers in Denmark used health data from the entire population of the country and analyzed the information from nearly 300,000 patients who were diagnosed with cancer between 1995 and 2007. The authors note that the relationship is biologically […]

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September 19th, 2012

An Ad That Doesn’t Tell the Entire Story — Part 2: Niaspan

Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

A print ad for Niaspan focuses only on how it raises HDL-cholesterol levels, with no mention of the lack of benefit in improving outcomes.

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