May 10th, 2012
FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Approval for Weight Loss Drug Lorcaserin
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee voted to recommend approval of lorcaserin (Lorqess, Arena). The vote was 18 in favor of approval, 4 against, and 1 abstention.
May 10th, 2012
Shedding Light on Riata at the Heart Rhythm Society Meeting
Edward J. Schloss, MD
The Heart Rhythm Society meeting kicked off in Boston this morning. Edward Schloss recounts the important opening session in which FDA-recalled St. Jude ICD leads Riata, Riata ST, and Durata were discussed.
May 10th, 2012
Atorvastatin Lifts Ranbaxy While Pfizer Abandons Its Lipitor Marketing Efforts
Larry Husten, PHD
Pfizer will no longer aggressively market Lipitor (atorvastatin), its former crown jewel and the most lucrative pharmaceutical product ever. At the same time, generic drug manufacturer Ranbaxy posted record revenue for the last business quarter, growth fueled largely by sales of generic atorvastatin in the United States. Pfizer told the Wall Street Journal that it was abandoning […]
May 10th, 2012
Three Guideposts for Talking to Loved Ones After a Patient Dies
Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
Harlan Krumholz shares his techniques for helping to heal the people whom a deceased patient leaves behind.
May 8th, 2012
In AF, Women Have a Higher Stroke Risk Than Men
Larry Husten, PHD
In an elderly population, when compared to men with atrial fibrillation, women with AF have a significantly elevated risk for stroke. This increased risk occurs regardless of warfarin use.
May 8th, 2012
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: Week of May 7th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include a comparison of abciximab and manual aspiration thrombectomy in STEMI, the quality of U.S. clinical trials, 2-year data on PARTNER, TAVR in inoperable decompensating stenosis, clopidogrel genetic testing, and strategies to reduce MI mortality.
May 8th, 2012
Persistent Concerns About Lorcaserin (Lorqess) from FDA Reviewers
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA has posted briefing documents for Thursday’s meeting of the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee to reconsider the new drug application for lorcaserin (Lorqess, Arena). The reviewers do not appear to have substantially altered their view of lorcaserin.
May 7th, 2012
All Dressed Up and No Place to Go: False-Positive Activation of the Cath Lab for Primary PCI
Larry Husten, PHD
Primary PCI is widely recognized as the best early option for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, efforts to deliver primary PCI to the broadest possible population inevitably result in an increased number of false-positive activations of the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Now, a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds that […]
May 7th, 2012
Politics and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
Larry Husten, PHD
Larry Husten takes to task a conservative activist who is trying to inject politics where it’s neither needed nor wanted.
May 7th, 2012
Another Surrogate Endpoint Falls Short
Brahmajee Kartik Nallamothu, MD, MPH
Brahmajee Nallamothu puts into context the most recent study on the value of measuring the progression of carotid intima-media thickness.