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Vytorin Cholesterol Drug - Nice Name, Nice Numbers, But Let's See What You Can Do
Dec 05, 2008 -- Results from two clinical trials reported this year dinged the reputation of cholesterol drug Vytorin (ezetimibe plus simvastatin). One showed that in people with a rare inherited condition, Vytorin did a great job lowering cholesterol but didn't reduce atherosclerosis.In a second trial, among people with aortic valve stenosis, Vytorin again lowered cholesterol, but it didn't slow progression of the valve disease or reduce serious cardiovascular events.
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Treatment Fails To Improve Common Form Of Heart Failure
Dec 05, 2008 -- A medication used for high blood pressure does not improve a common form of heart failure, according to new results from a large, international study. The study, which included researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in key leadership positions, appears in this week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Double Threat: Deadly Lung Disease Also Linked To Heart Attacks
Dec 05, 2008 -- Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are three times as likely to experience severe coronary events-including heart attacks-than people without the disease, according to a recent study that analyzed the risk of cardiovascular disease in nearly 1,000 patients with IPF and more than 3,500 matched controls.
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Intravenous Anesthetic Protects Diabetics During Heart Surgery
Dec 05, 2008 -- Diabetics face a much higher risk of complications, including dying following heart surgery, than people without diabetes. The solution, according to researchers at the University of British Columbia, may be to replace the standard inhaled anesthetic with one that is delivered intravenously at a particular time during surgery. Now half way through a CIHR-supported clinical trial of 144 patients at Vancouver General Hospital, the results are very promising.
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Lipitor Lower Risk Of Cardiovascular Eventa Compared To Simvastatin, Study Shows
Dec 05, 2008 -- Pfizer announced the results of an observational study that showed patients taking Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) had a significant 13 percent reduction in the relative risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event compared with patients taking simvastatin (Zocor) therapy. The patients in this study did not have evident cardiovascular disease and were newly initiated on either treatment.
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Two-Year Follow-Up Data Demonstrates Preservation Of Adequate Mitral Valve Area In Patients Treated With The MitraClip(R) System
Dec 05, 2008 -- Long-term data published in EuroIntervention showed that the expected decrease in Mitral Vale Area (MVA) after repair with the MitraClip(R) system to correct mitral regurgitation (MR) is not associated with clinically significant mitral stenosis. Additionally, with two years of follow-up, none of the patients treated with the MitraClip(R) system required surgery for mitral stenosis.
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MannKind Reports Positive Results From Final Two Pivotal Phase 3 Clinical Studies In Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes
Dec 05, 2008 -- MannKind Corporation (Nasdaq: MNKD) announced that it has met the primary endpoints of its final two pivotal Phase 3 studies of AFRESATM, the company's ultra rapid acting, inhaled insulin product. The company expects to disclose more details of the top-line data from these studies in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes (studies 030 and 102) by mid-December. "We are very pleased to announce the positive outcome of these, the last of our three pivotal Phase 3 studies.
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Thoratec Says Interim Data Analysis Demonstrates Statistical Superiority For The HeartMate II(R) In Destination Therapy Trial
Dec 05, 2008 -- Thoratec Corporation (Nasdaq: THOR), a world leader in device-based mechanical circulatory support therapies to save, support and restore failing hearts, said that a pre-specified interim analysis of data from its HeartMate II Destination Therapy (DT) pivotal trial shows that patients implanted with the device achieved statistically superior outcomes versus those in the control group who were implanted with the company's HeartMate XVE.
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CT-Scan Vs. Invasive Angiography: Statement From The ESC
Dec 04, 2008 -- Recent media reports based on a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (27 November 2008 issue) have announced that "noninvasive CT scans cannot replace imaging of coronary artery blockages by conventional invasive angiography". In response, imaging specialist Professor Juhani Knuuti, spokesperson for the European Society of Cardiology and Past-Chair of the ESC Working Group on Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac CT, emphasizes the following points.
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Investigating Numbness, Pain Or Muscle Weakness? Guidelines Identify Best Tests For Neuropathy
Dec 04, 2008 -- New guidelines developed by the American Academy of Neurology find a combination of blood tests and other specialized assessments appear to be the most helpful tests for finding the cause of neuropathy. Also known as neuritis or distal symmetric polyneuropathy, this common nerve problem affects people of all ages. The guidelines are published in the December 3, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
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