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.

COVID-19, other infections linked to major cardiovascular risks—researchers push for vaccination
Adults are three times as likely to have a heart attack or stroke after a COVID-19 infection than when they are healthy. The risks are even greater for the flu.
Novo Nordisk, Pfizer enter bidding war for biotech startup—and it is getting ugly
Pfizer was all set to acquire New York City-based Metsera for $4.9 billion, but Novo Nordisk stepped in with an unexpected counteroffer of $6.5 billion. Both companies hope to add Metsera's drugs to their GLP-1 portfolios.
Nearly 600K bottles of blood pressure drug recalled due to carcinogen risk
The FDA has detailed three voluntary recalls for prazosin hydrochloride, a medication used to treat hypertension, due to safety concerns.
Clinical trials paused due to heart patient’s hospitalization
Intellia Therapeutics paused clinical trials for ATTR-CM and ATTR-PN after a patient was hospitalized due to a significant liver injury.
New drug recall includes more than 140K bottles of popular statin
According to the FDA, the drugs are not dissolving correctly. This can impact their ability to lower a patient’s cholesterol as intended.

private equity corporatization business consolidation

Private equity-backed pharmaceutical company acquires stroke drug from Bayer

The drug, nimodipine, is a second-generation calcium channel blocker designed to prevent and treat cerebral vasospasm following an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Amazon Pharmacy is now delivering medications by done

Amazon Pharmacy now delivering medications by drone, promising orders in 1 hour or less

The new service is now live in College Station, Texas. The drones use a series of sensors and cameras to remain stable and navigate around obstacles as needed.

A late-breaking science presentation at the annual TCT interventional cardiology meeting.

Late-breaking clinical trials at TCT 2023

Here is a list of all the late-breaking clinical trials being presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) 2023 annual meeting Oct. 23-26, 2023, in San Francisco.

Dihydropyridines such as amlodipine have been the topic of some debate in recent months due to fears they lead to significant side effects.

Video of Kateita Hasanovic, RN, senior director, clinical EHR applications at Baptist Health, Jacksonville, Florida, explains how her large health system consolidated its Epic EHR and patient medication history.

How medication reconciliation data consolidation in the EHR enables better patient care

Baptist Health in Jacksonville, Florida, consolidated patient medication history from numerous facilities into one location in its Epic EHR to improve patient safety and allow data analytics.

Patisiran, marketed under the name Onpattro

FDA chooses not to approve patisiran for treating ATTR cardiomyopathy

The announcement came just weeks after an FDA subcommittee voted in favor of approval.

Merck is seeking FDA approval for sotatercept to be used as a treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension

FDA grants speedy review to Merck's new drug for pulmonary arterial hypertension

The FDA is expected to base its decision in part on the STELLAR clinical trial, which included 163 adult patients treated with subcutaneous sotatercept and 160 patients treated with a placebo.

Bivalirudin linked to key benefit over heparin for NSTEMI patients undergoing PCI

The two anticoagulants are associated with similar mortality rates. However, a new meta-analysis in Circulation may have cardiologists favoring bivalirudin over heparin.

Pharmaceutics

COVID-19, other infections linked to major cardiovascular risks—researchers push for vaccination

Novo Nordisk, Pfizer enter bidding war for biotech startup—and it is getting ugly

Nearly 600K bottles of blood pressure drug recalled due to carcinogen risk

Clinical trials paused due to heart patient’s hospitalization

New drug recall includes more than 140K bottles of popular statin