January 16th, 2013
FDA Releases Warning Letter to St. Jude About ICD Leads
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA on Tuesday released the full text of a warning letter sent last week to St. Jude Medical. The company had previously disclosed the existence of the letter in an SEC filing but did not make clear the full extent of the FDA warning. The letter from the FDA is the latest in a series of setbacks and challenges […]
January 15th, 2013
Large Meta-Analysis Finds No Harm Associated with Eggs
Larry Husten, PHD
No food has had more ups and downs over the last century or so than the common egg. Following a long period in which eggs were ubiquitous and highly regarded, eggs fell from favor with the rise of concerns over cholesterol. Currently, the American Heart Association recommends that people restrict dietary cholesterol to 300 mg per day, which […]
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.
January 14th, 2013
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: January 14th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topic is egg consumption and the risk of CHD and stroke.
January 14th, 2013
You’re Sick: To Work, or Not to Work?
Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM
When you’re sick do you feel torn between meeting your obligations and protecting patients from your illness?
January 14th, 2013
Atrial Fibrillation Linked to Increased Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death
Larry Husten, PHD
Although atrial fibrillation (AF) is well known to be associated with an increase in the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease, a similar association with sudden cardiac death (SCD) has been suspected but not demonstrated in the past. Now, a new study examining data from two large population studies offers evidence that AF is […]
January 14th, 2013
Advisory Panel Recommends Approval of Diabetes Drug Canagliflozin
Christine Sadlowski, MS
An advisory committee to the FDA recommended approving canagliflozin, a new type of drug for type 2 diabetes, late last week, the New York Times reports. The once-daily oral drug is a selective sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor. It prevents reabsorption of glucose by the kidney, thereby increasing glucose excretion in the urine and reducing […]
January 11th, 2013
You Know You Need a Pacemaker When…
Shengshou Hu, M.D.
Wes Fisher shares a handy tool for identifying whether one needs a pacemaker.
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 […]
January 10th, 2013
Acute Kidney Injury Associated With Dual Antihypertensive Therapy And NSAIDs
Larry Husten, PHD
NSAIDs seem to increase the risks for acute kidney injury when taken along with antihypertensive therapy consisting of a diuretic plus an ACE inhibitior or an ARB.