Beta Blocker News and Research

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Beta-adrenergic receptor blocking agents (beta-blockers) are drugs with multiple actions on the heart. Blockade of beta-1 receptors results in slowing of heart rate, reduction in myocardial contractility, and lowering of systemic blood pressure. In the context of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), which represents a state of reduced oxygen supply to the affected portion of the heart, these effects may be beneficial as they result in reduced myocardial workload and oxygen demand. Furthermore, beta-blockers may reduce the risk of ventricular arrhythmias, which are an important cause of death following AMI.

A genetic variation mimics effect of heart failure medications - may explain why beta-blockers do not work for all patients

A genetic variation, found predominantly in African Americans, protects some people with heart failure, enabling them to live longer than expected. That's the conclusion of a research team led by investigators at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

20 Apr 2008

Creatinine increase in elderly means increased renal disease, mortality

Even small increases in serum creatinine levels during hospitalization raise the risk of end stage renal disease and mortality of elderly patients over the long term, according to a University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

16 Apr 2008

Boffins admit to using drugs to enhance their thinking

A survey of readers of a scientific journal has revealed that one in five use drugs to enhance their thinking.

9 Apr 2008

Microwave therapy for enlarged prostates can cause surges in blood pressure

Many men who receive microwave therapy for enlarged prostates experience significant surges in blood pressure that could raise their risk of a heart attack or stroke, according to new research findings published recently in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

9 Apr 2008

Angina drug ranolazine potentially useful against heart rhythm disorders

A recently approved angina drug may also represent a powerful new treatment for a rare hereditary syndrome that places teens at risk for sudden cardiac death, according to research presented on April 1st at the 57th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) in Chicago.

9 Apr 2008

Beta-blockers heal the heart via the brain when administered during heart failure

Up to now, it was thought that beta-blockers work directly on the heart, but the new study shows that the drugs may also act via the brain, suggesting that future therapies to treat cardiovascular disease could be targeting the central nervous system.

26 Mar 2008

Cocaine can cause symptoms of a heart attack

According to new research from the U.S., using cocaine can cause chest pain and other symptoms similar to a heart attack.

19 Mar 2008

Low cost tactics improve medication use after heart attack

Direct-to-patient communication about the importance of continuing prescription drug treatment after a heart attack is a simple, low-cost way to increase the likelihood of patients adhering to life saving therapies at least four out of every five days.

14 Mar 2008

Glaucoma associated with increased risk of cardiovascular death in black patients

In a population of African origin, persons with diagnosed and treated glaucoma appeared to have an increased risk of death from cardiovascular causes, according to a study by Suh-Yuh Wu, and colleagues in the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Ophthalmology at Stony Brook University, the University of the West Indies, and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

12 Mar 2008

Glaucoma associated with increased risk of cardiovascular death in black patients

Black patients with diagnosed and treated glaucoma and those with high pressure in their eyes appear to have an increased risk of death from cardiovascular causes, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

11 Mar 2008

Women are treated less frequently than men with statins, aspirin and beta-blockers

Women and men experience a similar prevalence of adverse drug reactions in the treatment of coronary artery disease; however, women are significantly less likely than their male counterparts to be treated with statins, aspirin, and beta-blockers according to a new study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center.

6 Mar 2008

Forest Laboratories to develop and distribute the novel beta blocker Bystolic (nebivolol)

Mylan Inc. has announced that it and Forest Laboratories Holdings, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Forest Laboratories, Inc. have amended their January 2006 agreement to commercialize, develop and distribute the novel beta blocker Bystolic (nebivolol), which is currently approved in the United States for the treatment of hypertension.

28 Feb 2008

Chronic exposure to beta-blockers attenuates inflammation and mucin content in asthma model

Inverseon, Inc. has announced the publication of a rapid communication of groundbreaking research led by Professor Richard Bond of the University of Houston, Inverseon's Scientific Founder.

20 Feb 2008

Calcium channel blockers cut risk of Parkinson's disease

People taking a widely used group of drugs known as calcium channel blockers to treat high blood pressure also appear to be cutting their risk of Parkinson's disease, according to a study published in the February 6, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Feb 2008

Study proves the co-pay connection in chronic disease

As 2008 begins, millions of Americans are having to dig deeper into their own pockets every time they refill a prescription or see a doctor.

9 Jan 2008

FDA to review potential anti-arrhythmic claims for Ranexa

CV Therapeutics, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the Company that it will evaluate the approval of potential anti-arrhythmic claims for Ranexa (ranolazine extended-release tablets) as part of its ongoing review of the Company's supplemental new drug application (sNDA).

10 Dec 2007

Simple two-in-one test signals high risk after a heart attack

Everyone loves a two-fer, but a two-in-one heart test that has the potential to save lives is the real deal.

4 Dec 2007

FDA issues approvable letter for Nebivolol for the treatment of hypertension

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Mylan Inc. announced that Mylan has received an approvable letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to its New Drug Application (NDA) for nebivolol (proposed brand name Bystolic), a novel beta blocker under review for the treatment of hypertension.

2 Dec 2007

Common medications could cause dry eye experts say

Common oral and topical medications could be causing dry eye in patients, according to optometrists.

22 Nov 2007

Hormone norepinephrine may hasten the progression of certain blood cancers

Researchers here have shown that in cell cultures, the stress hormone norepinephrine appears to promote the biochemical signals that stimulate certain tumor cells to grow and spread.

20 Nov 2007