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.

FDA says years-long tirzepatide shortage is resolved, will give limited leeway to compounders
The tirzepatide shortage that first began in 2022 has been resolved. Drug companies distributing compounded versions of the popular drug now have two to three more months to distribute their remaining supply.
Merck spends up to $2B to license new weight loss drug with potential heart benefits
Merck sent Hansoh Pharma, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company, an upfront payment of $112 million to license a new investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist. There could be many more payments to come if certain milestones are met.
Clopidogrel vs. aspirin: Tracking the chronic maintenance period after PCI for different risk groups
As more high-risk patients undergo PCI, what is the best antiplatelet strategy following an initial event-free period of DAPT? Does it change after complex PCI? Researchers aimed to answer these questions, and many others, with new findings published in JAMA Cardiology.
FDA approves new short-term treatment for AFib, atrial flutter in critical care settings
Landiolol, sold by AOP Health under the brand name Rapiblyk, is an intravenous treatment designed to start working right away.
FDA approves acoramidis, BridgeBio’s new ATTR-CM drug
Acoramidis, a selective transthyretin stabilizer being sold under the brand name Attruby, is now the second ATTR-CM medication to gain FDA approval.

Interventional cardiologist Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, named new director of Mount Sinai Heart

Bhatt succeeds Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, who has held the position since 2006 and will now serve in a more advisory role at Mount Sinai Heart.

October 31, 2022

Dapagliflozin still beneficial for HFpEF, HFmrEF patients with AFib

While some heart failure medications are less effective in patients with concomitant atrial fibrillation, new research suggests that is not the case for dapagliflozin.

October 27, 2022

FDA announces new recall of blood pressure medication due to potential cancer risk

Patients impacted by this recall are advised to speak with a physician about how to proceed.

October 25, 2022

vaccine child kid young patient covid-19 mask patient

Heart damage after COVID-19 vaccination extremely rare among adolescents

Vaccine-related myocarditis was seen in approximately 0.00005% of children between the ages of 12 and 15. All cases were mild, and the median length of stay at the hospital was three days.

October 21, 2022

COVID-19 drug Paxlovid may react poorly with certain heart medications, cardiologists warn

Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, sold by Pfizer under the name Paxlovid, is commonly prescribed to treat COVID-19. When treating some heart patients, however, physicians may want to consider an alternative approach.

October 19, 2022

Apixaban outperforms rivaroxaban when treating patients with AFib and valvular heart disease

Researchers explored data from nearly 20,000 patients, sharing their findings in Annals of Internal Medicine.

October 18, 2022

Deepak Bhatt, MD, MPH, executive director of the interventional cardiovascular programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, explained the new generation of cholesterol lowering agents and their roles in various types of patients.

VIDEO: Deepak Bhatt discusses the role of new cholesterol-lowering agents

Deepak Bhatt, MD, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, details the new generation of cholesterol-lowering agents and their roles in patient care.

October 18, 2022

Leading cardiologists sound the alarm, say polypills could save millions of lives if made widely available

“This systemic failure is a global tragedy, as many premature deaths from CVD could be avoided,” one cardiologist said.

October 14, 2022

Pharmaceutics

FDA says years-long tirzepatide shortage is resolved, will give limited leeway to compounders

Merck spends up to $2B to license new weight loss drug with potential heart benefits

Clopidogrel vs. aspirin: Tracking the chronic maintenance period after PCI for different risk groups

FDA approves new short-term treatment for AFib, atrial flutter in critical care settings

FDA approves acoramidis, BridgeBio’s new ATTR-CM drug