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.   

Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, director of Mount Sinai Heart and general director of the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research

High dosage of blood thinners lowers 30-day morbidity for hospitalized COVID-19 patients

For patients who were hospitalized, but not yet in the ICU, those randomly assigned a higher-dose of anticoagulants had lower 30-day mortality risk than those on a lower dose. 

Large study finds high rates of nonadherence to statin recommendations; women especially averse

Many patients who would clearly benefit by lowered LDL cholesterol levels are choosing to forgo first-time recommendations for statin regimens, according to a population-level study. 

Bertram Pitt, MD, a professor of medicine emeritus at the University of Michigan School of Medicine, explains the role of sodium–glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors for heart failure (HF). Initially developed to treat diabetes, these drugs have been shown to improve HF outcomes in HF in several large, randomized trials over the past few years, including SOLOIST-WHF, DAPA-HF, EMPEROR-Preserved, and the DELIVER trials. The positive results earned their inclusion in the 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for

What clinical research tells us about sotagliflozin and heart failure

Some SGLT2 inhibitors have been linked to significant improvements in HF outcomes, but what about sotagliflozin? We spoke with Bertram Pitt, MD, to learn more.

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Vericiguat consistently linked to positive outcomes, limited side effects among heart failure patients

Reviewing data from several studies, researchers wrote that vericiguat (Verquvo) could potentially "become a breakthrough in the treatment of heart failure." 

FDA calls out weight loss pills for ‘hidden’ ingredient that puts health of heart patients at risk Alfia Weight Loss Capsules

FDA calls out weight loss pills for ‘hidden’ ingredient that puts health of heart patients at risk

The agency’s own analysis confirmed that these capsules contain sibutramine, which was removed from the market back in 2010 due to safety concerns

CardiacSense, an Israel-based healthcare technology company, gained FDA clearance for its CSF-3 medical watch

Regulatory Roundup: FDA clears new medical watch, considers empagliflozin for CKD and much more

Our monthly review of FDA-related news items in the world of cardiology includes updates from CardiacSense, MedAlliance, Lupin, Realize Medical and Eli Lilly and Company. 

FDA approves new medication for type 2 diabetes

The newly approved SGLT2 inhibitor, bexagliflozin, is marketed under the name Brenzavvy. It is not recommended for patients with type 1 diabetes. 

Peter Libby, MD, a cardiovascular medicine specialist, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Mallinckrodt Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, explains the take aways from the PROMINENT trial using pemafibrate to lower cardiovascular risks. The trial, presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) 2022 meeting, did not show reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular events among those who received pemafibrate than among those who received placebo. #AHA #AHA22

VIDEO: Pemafibrate does not lower cardiovascular risks in the PROMINENT trial

Peter Libby, MD, a cardiovascular medicine specialist with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, explained some key takeaways from the PROMINENT trial.