'''January 30, 2009: Prasugrel’s FDA outlook appears brighter'''
*[http://cardiobrief.org (CardioBrief) - Next Tuesday the FDA’s Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee will help decide the fate of prasugrel (Effient), Lilly’s highly anticipated and somewhat controversial antiplatelet drug that many have predicted could be the next clopidogrel. The FDA has released its briefing documents for the meeting, and the bottom line is that prasugrel’s path to approval appears less bumpy than some had expected. On the other hand, the document recommends a boxed warning for the drug. According to a Dow Jones Newswire story, analysts are predicting the drug will receive approval, but only for a narrow indication.]
'''January 30, 2009: NT-proBNP Guided vs. Symptom-Guided Heart Failure Therapy ''by Michael W. Tempelhof'''''
*[http://www.wikidoc.org/index.php/News:NT-proBNP_Guided_vs._Sympton-Guided_Heart_Failure_Therapy (Wiki''Doc'') - Cardiologists using N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) levels to guide treatment of heart failure patients may not see significant improvement over more standard symptom-guided therapy. A study, printed in JAMA, looked at 499 patients aged 60 or older who had been recently hospitalized for heart failure. It found that after 18 months, patients whose therapy was guided by N-terminal BNP did not experience a better quality of life or see improved overall clinical outcomes.]
'''January 30, 2009: Lancet editorial: OTC Orlistat Not in the Public Interest'''
*[http://cardiobrief.org (CardioBrief) - Orlistat should not be available over-the-counter, according to a ''Lancet'' editorial. Orlistat recently received OTC approval in Europe and is already available OTC in the USA. According to the editorial, ”better accessibility to orlistat may not necessarily be in the best interests of the public. Orlistat has limited effect in the management of obesity—the average weight loss per year is only 2.5 kg. Making this drug available OTC will add false credibility to the notion that there is an easy pill-popping solution to obesity rather than long-term lifestyle changes.” (''Lancet'')]
'''January 29, 2009: Heartburn Drugs May Interfere with Plavix, Lead to 2nd Heart Attack'''
'''January 29, 2009: Heartburn Drugs May Interfere with Plavix, Lead to 2nd Heart Attack'''
*[http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/rapidpdf/cmaj.082001 (WikiDoc) - Clot-preventing drug Plavix, taken with heartburn drugs after a heart attack, dramatically increases a patient's chances of having a second heart attack, according to the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Plavix and Proton pump inhibitors like Prilosec and Prevacid are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world, so these findings could have an enormous public health impact. The Canadian study looked at 13,636 people who had heart attacks between 2002 and 2007. They found those who took Plavix along with a proton pump inhibitor had a 40 percent increased chance of having a second heart attack. Scientists believe the heartburn meds interfere with body's ability to metabolize the clot-preventing drug. (Canadian Medical Association Journal)]
*[http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/rapidpdf/cmaj.082001 (WikiDoc) - Clot-preventing drug Plavix, taken with heartburn drugs after a heart attack, dramatically increases a patient's chances of having a second heart attack, according to the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Plavix and Proton pump inhibitors like Prilosec and Prevacid are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world, so these findings could have an enormous public health impact. The Canadian study looked at 13,636 people who had heart attacks between 2002 and 2007. They found those who took Plavix along with a proton pump inhibitor had a 40 percent increased chance of having a second heart attack. Scientists believe the heartburn meds interfere with body's ability to metabolize the clot-preventing drug. (Canadian Medical Association Journal)]
Revision as of 18:55, 30 January 2009
January 30, 2009: Prasugrel’s FDA outlook appears brighter