Abbott announced today that it had agreed to acquire Evalve, a leader in the growing field of minimally invasive mitral valve repair. Here is the Abbott press release:
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Monthly Archives: September 2009
ACC survey finds critical shortage of cardiologists now and in the future 1
Updated: A critical shortage of cardiologists exists today, and will only grow more severe in the future, according to a new report from the American College of Cardiology. The report finds a current shortage of more than 1,600 general cardiologists and nearly 2,000 interventional cardiologists. By 2025 the shortage of general cardiologists could grow to 16,000, and by 2050 the number of practicing cardiologists will need to double.
But not all experts agree that simply increasing the number of cardiologists is the best way to address the underlying problem, and several experts expressed skepticism about the finding that there is currently a shortage in interventional cardiologists.
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Phentermine and topiramate: a slimming combination 1
The combination of phertermine and topiramate resulted in substantial weight loss and good tolerability, according to a press release from Vivus Inc, the manufacturer of the combination drug called Qnexa.
Vivus announced today positive results from two pivotal phase 3 studies, EQUIP and CONQUER, in more than 3,750 patients. The company said the studies met their primary enpoints by demonstrating statistically significant weight loss with all three doses of Qnexa, as compared to placebo. Patients taking Qnexa also achieved significant improvements in cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors including blood pressure, lipid levels, and type 2 diabetes, the company reported.
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Lifetime exposure to lead linked to increased CV risk Reply
Lifetime cumulative exposure to lead is associated with significant increases in cardiovascular mortality, according to a new study in Circulation.
By measuring lead concentrations in the bone, the researchers, led by Marc Weisskopf, were able to asess long term exposure to lead. People with patella bone lead levels in the highest tertile were more than five times as likely to die of cardiovascular causes as people in the lowest tertile.
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Dronedarone (Multaq) less effective but safer than amiodarone, study suggests 2
Dronedarone (Multaq, Sanofi-aventis) is less effective than amiodarone in fighting AF but causes fewer adverse effects, according to a new study.
“The critical question for clinical practice,” the study authors write, is whether the safety benefits “justify a retreat from the moderate efficacy afforded by amiodarone.”
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“Dr Nobody” in JAMA editors flap speaks his mind 1
Jonathan Leo, the “Dr. Nobody” in the JAMA editors flap, has delivered a long and thoughtful response to the entire sorry episode in an article in the journal Society.
Among many issues, Leo discusses the academic freedom concerns raised by the case. (Recall that the JAMA editors initially demanded that Leo– along with any other JAMA letter writers– had no right to publish without permission from the editors.) Here is what Leo has to say:
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Circulation publishes lengthy correction of MIST paper Reply
Circulation has posted a lengthy correction of the highly controversial MIST trial, which was designed to test percutaneous closure of PFOs to reduce migraines. We won’t go into details here– just the thought of returning to this story brings on a migraine– but you can read lots of background material, starting with this heartwire story.
ESC: the “shady side” of AF treatments Reply
Two presentations at the ESC highlighted the difficulty in eradicating this not-so-benign arrhythmia and, in the words of an ESC press release, the “shady side” of AF treatments.
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Are low-carb, high fat diets “fads”? 3
Should low-carb, high fat diets be considered “fad diets”? A Comment by Mann and Nye published in the Lancet simply assumes that these diets don’t have any scientific credibility, but we’ve seen a number of important studies in major publications, including recent trials in the NEJM by Shai et al and in JAMA, by Gardner et al, to suggest that these diets are very far from being dismissed as mere fads. In fact, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that they should be taken very seriously indeed. (In fact, as any expert will reluctantly concede, there’s almost no good randomized, controlled data to conclusively demonstrate that any diet is better than any other.)
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FAME at ESC: benefits of FFR hold up at 18 months Reply
The FAME trial continues to demonstrate the beneficial effect of the use of fractional flow reserve (FFR) to guide PCI, according to Nico HJ Pijls, who presented 18 month data from FAME at the ESC in Barcelona.
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FDA official reviews his own prasugrel review in NEJM 3
Now that prasugrel has finally been approved, EF Unger, one of its chief reviewers at the FDA, is providing insight into the FDA thought process in a perspective in the New England Journal of Medicine. Along the lines of the old TV ad for EF Hutton, when EF Unger speaks, people interested in prasugrel listen. As Unger writes, the “FDA grappled with a number of complex issues during the review process.” Discussing the TRITON-TIMI 38 trial, Unger says that:
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SYNTAX at ESC: at 2 years MIs in PCI patients begin to accumulate Reply
Two-year results from the ongoing SYNTAX trial show significantly higher rates of MI with PCI when compared to CABG.
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JAMA: All ABOARD for PCI, but no need to rush Reply
In recent years invasive strategies have become the preferred treatment for NSTE-ACS, but the optimal timing of interventions has been unclear. Now ABOARD, a new study appearing in JAMA, suggests that there is little danger in taking some time before climbing aboard the PCI express.
Hiding in plain sight: clinical trial registration isn’t working as intended 4
Mandatory registration of clinical trials was supposed to prevent some troubling abuses of the research system. Two new studies published today suggest that many of these abuses continue.
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KYOTO HEART at ESC: have ARBs finally come of age? Reply
Since they first became available almost 15 years ago, ARB supporters have tried to fight the impression that the drugs are nothing more than ACE inhibitors without the cough. The latest effort to do this, the KYOTO HEART study, was presented earlier today at the ESC and published simultaneously in the European Heart Journal.
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ESC: MADIT-CRT is a “remarkable study” but concerns raised about “indication creep” 1
Once again a MADIT trial appears poised to shake things up. Results from the MADIT-CRT trial were presented this morning at the ESC and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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