Pharmaceutics

This page contains key pharmaceutical news on drug recalls, FDA clearance, safety communications and research. In cardiology, key pharmaceutic agents include antiplatelet therapies, anticoagulants, hypertension drugs, and drugs for heart failure and arrhythmias.   

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Ticagrelor alone reduces bleeding risk after PCI, DAPT

Results from the late-breaking TWILIGHT trial suggest that, among high-risk patients who have undergone PCI and completed three months of dual antiplatelet therapy, it’s safer to continue treatment with ticagrelor alone rather than add aspirin to that cocktail.

October 9, 2019

Shorter-duration DAPT looks favorable for patients at a high risk of bleeding after PCI

A shortened, three-month course of dual antiplatelet therapy might be a safer bet than 12-month treatment for patients at a high risk of bleeding after PCI and implantation of a drug-eluting stent.

September 27, 2019

FDA OKs Pfizer’s tafamidis to treat cardiac amyloidosis

The FDA has cleared two new drugs, tafamidis and tafamidis meglumine, for the treatment of cardiomyopathy caused by a rare disorder known as transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR-CM).

May 6, 2019

Apixaban, clopidogrel a safe combo for ACS patients with AFib

NEW ORLEANS — An antithrombotic regimen of apixaban plus a P2Y12 inhibitor such as clopidogrel lowered bleeding events and hospitalizations compared to warfarin plus clopidogrel in a cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib) and a recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to results of the AUGUSTUS trial.

March 18, 2019

Clopidogrel loading offers little added benefit for stenosis patients pre-TAVI

P2Y12 inhibitor initiation with clopidogrel using a loading dose (LD) is no more effective in reducing ischemic events or adverse outcomes in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) patients than initiating the therapy without a loading dose, according to research published in the American Journal of Cardiology Feb. 10.

February 13, 2019

FDA fast-tracks review process for cardiac amyloidosis drug

Tafamidis, Pfizer’s treatment for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), has been granted a priority review designation from the FDA, potentially speeding its path to approval.

January 14, 2019

CDK2 inhibitors protect cancer patients from anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity

Inhibiting a certain class of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) proteins could protect cancer patients from chemotherapy-induced heart failure—the second leading cause of death in the demographic after cancer recurrence—according to research published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

November 7, 2018

Why Cleveland Clinic began screening carpal tunnel patients for cardiac amyloidosis

Cleveland Clinic researchers identified amyloid deposits in 10.2 percent of patients undergoing carpal tunnel release surgery, suggesting biopsies of hand tissue could be an early signal of life-threatening cardiac amyloidosis.

October 17, 2018

Around the web

Eleven medical societies have signed on to a consensus statement aimed at standardizing imaging for suspected cardiovascular infections.

Kate Hanneman, MD, explains why many vendors and hospitals want to lower radiology's impact on the environment. "Taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint in healthcare isn’t just an opportunity," she said. "It’s also a responsibility."

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