May 31st, 2013
Two FDA Officials Quarrel Over Safety of Angiotensin-Receptor Blockers
Larry Husten, PHD
Two FDA officials are quarreling in public about their different views about the safety of angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), according to a story by Thomas Burton in Friday’s Wall Street Journal. One official, Thomas Marciniak, contends that ARBs may increase the risk for cancer. Marciniak has been a vocal critic of FDA’s efforts to assess drug safety. In […]
May 30th, 2013
True or False: Fitness Program + Statin = No Fitness Program?
Catherine R Mikus, PhD and John Thyfault, PhD
Catherine Mikus and John Thyfault discuss their study group’s small randomized trial suggesting that statin use may blunt the benefits of exercise.
May 30th, 2013
Large Meta-Analysis Quantifies Risks Posed by Coxibs and Traditional NSAIDs
Larry Husten, PHD
Findings from a very large meta-analysis of clinical trials of NSAIDs may now allow physicians to quantify the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal risks associated with these drugs. The results of the Coxib and traditional NSAID Trialists’ (CNT) Collaboration, employing data from more than 350,000 randomized patients, have been published in the Lancet. Here are some of the key findings: The […]
May 29th, 2013
Report on the RECORD Trial Released
Larry Husten, PHD
An independent re-adjudication of the RECORD trial has confirmed the trial’s original finding that rosiglitazone does not increase cardiovascular risk. But critics of the trial and the drug are unlikely to be appeased by the new result. The re-adjudication of RECORD will be the subject of an extraordinary 2-day FDA advisory committee meeting next week […]
May 28th, 2013
Interpretations Differ Over Study of Coenzyme Q10 in Heart Failure
Larry Husten, PHD
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) may be beneficial in heart failure (HF), according to the results of the Q-SYMBIO study presented this past weekend at the Heart Failure 2013 meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. But the results should be viewed with a critical eye, say experts. A possible role for CoQ10 in the treatment of HF has long been proposed. A […]
May 28th, 2013
Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: May 28th
Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP
This week’s topics include the mechanisms of acute coronary syndromes, the gap in life expectancy from preventable physical illness (including CVD) in psychiatric patients, and a comparison study of CABG vs. PCI.
May 24th, 2013
Rivaroxaban Gains Approval in Europe for ACS Indication
Larry Husten, PHD
Rivaroxaban (Xarelto, Bayer) has been approved in Europe for the prevention of atherothrombotic events (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke) following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The drug was approved at a dose of 2.5 mg twice-daily and should be used in combination with standard antiplatelet therapy. Rivaroxaban is now the only oral anticoagulant to receive […]
May 24th, 2013
Spinning RECORD: Battle Over Rosiglitazone Heats up Two Weeks Before Crucial FDA Meeting
Larry Husten, PHD
Battle lines are being drawn two weeks before a highly unusual two-day FDA advisory committee meeting to discuss the contentious diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline [GSK]). This will be the second time an FDA panel has wrestled with the fate of the drug and expectations have been that the discussion will once again be heated. But […]
May 23rd, 2013
Small Study Suggests Statins May Blunt Benefits of Exercise
Larry Husten, PHD
A small study is raising big questions about whether statins may blunt the beneficial effects of exercise. The study has been published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and is the subject of a New York Times blog. Some 37 previously sedentary, overweight or obese adults with at least two other risk factors underwent 12 weeks of […]
May 23rd, 2013
When Are Dual-Chamber ICDs Necessary for Primary Prevention?
Pam Peterson, MD, MSPH, Frederick Masoudi, MD, MSPH and Nihar Desai, MD, MPH
Pamela Peterson and Frederick Masoudi discuss findings from their research group’s registry study comparing outcomes with dual- versus single-chamber ICDs among primary-prevention patients who have no pacing indication.