Tag: heart disease
-
European Commission Approval Granted for Blood Pressure Drug
The pharmaceutical company Novartis in Basel, Switzerland says its drug Rasitrio has received approval from the European Commission (EC) for the treatment of hypertension or high blood pressure. The drug was designed for blood pressure patients who need multiple medications to treat their condition. Rasitrio has the compound Rasilez, an inhibitor of the enzyme renin…
-
Full Coverage of Meds Reduces Later Heart Attacks, Failures
Academic and industry researchers have found heart attack patients whose insurance fully covered their medications had lower rates of rehospitalization for heart attack or heart failure compared to patients who had prescription co-pays. The team from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Aetna Insurance in Hartford, Connecticut, and CVS Caremark in…
-
Protein Discovered That Enables Heart Tissue Repair
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim, Germany have found a protein that stimulates regression of individual heart muscle cells into their precursor cells, a step required for self-generated healing of damaged heart tissue. The Max Planck Institute, with colleagues from the Schüchtermann Klinik in Bad Rothenfelde, published…
-
FDA Approves Anti-Clotting Drug for Stroke Prevention
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the anti-clotting drug rivaroxaban to reduce the risk of stroke in people with abnormal heart rhythms from atrial fibrillation due to problems other than faulty heart valves. The drug is marketed under the name Xarelto in the U.S. by Janssen Pharmaceuticals in Raritan, New Jersey, a subsidiary…
-
Synthesized Methods Developed for Anti-Coagulant Drugs
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill have developed a new method for producing the anti-coagulant drug fondaparinux that is purer, faster, and less expensive. Their findings, which the authors say offer a template for the discovery of other drugs, appear in the 28 October issue…
-
Blood Pressure Meds at Bed Time Reduce Heart Disease Risk
Researchers at University of Vigo in Spain have found that taking blood pressure medicines at bed time appears to reduce risk of heart disease as well as keep blood pressure under control. They describe their research online this week in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (paid subscription required). Hypertension affects about one-third…
-
Biomarker Test Can Reduce Heart Failure Complications
A clinical trial at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston indicates that testing for blood levels of a biomarker of cardiac distress, along with standard levels of care, can reduce the incidence of cardiac complications. The findings appear in the 25 October issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (paid subscription required). Roche…
-
Guidelines Show Safe MRIs with Implanted Cardiac Devices
Research conducted in the U.S. and Israel indicates that patients with implanted cardiac devices can safely undergo MRI scans, when a specified protocol is followed. The results of the study appear in the 4 October issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine (paid subscription required). Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been considered off limits…
-
Mayo Clinic Builds Partnership for Smoke-Free Workplaces
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota launched today a new program to encourage employers to make their workplaces smoke free. The Global Smoke-Free Worksite Challenge was announced at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York. The Global Smoke-Free Worksite Challenge is a collaboration among the American Cancer Society, the Global Business…
-
Research-Based Healthy Eating Plate Unveiled
Nutritionists at Harvard University’s School of Public Health have released the Healthy Eating Plate, a visual guide for eating a healthy meal that the developers say is based only on the science and not the interests of growers or industry. Eric Rimm, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the school says, “We want people…