Heart Failure News and Research

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Heart failure (HF) is a condition in which a problem with the structure or function of the heart impairs its ability to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the body's needs. It should not be confused with cardiac arrest or myocardial infarction.

Ikaria initiates enrollment in LUCASSIN Phase III trial for HRS Type 1

Ikaria, Inc. announced that it has enrolled the first patients in its pivotal Phase III trial for LUCASSIN® (terlipressin). The multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial is known as the REVERSE Trial.

30 Nov 2010

FDA approves Inspire to begin STAR clinical trial to evaluate UAS therapy for OSA

Inspire Medical Systems, a leading developer of neuro-stimulation therapies for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), announced today that the company has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin its STAR pivotal clinical trial. The STAR trial (Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction), is a multi-center study that will evaluate both the safety and effectiveness of Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) therapy in patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

30 Nov 2010

Largest remote health monitoring project in the world launched in China

Canada-based IDEAL LIFE and China's Shandong NovaTech Biological Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer and medical products distribution network in China, announced the launch of the largest remote health monitoring project in the world, bringing wireless, remote health monitoring to the People's Republic of China.

30 Nov 2010

Tricare may raise fees; VA Medical Center uses telemedicine to trim costs

"Of nearly 4.5 million military retirees and their families, about three-quarters are estimated to have access to health insurance through a civilian employer or group. But more than two million of them stay on Tricare," the military's lifetime health insurance program, The New York Times reports. Enrollment in Tricare, which costs less than what many private employers ask for in premiums, is expected to grow "as the costs of private health care continue to climb."

29 Nov 2010

Transgenomic signs definitive agreement to acquire diagnostic business of Clinical Data

Transgenomic, Inc. announced today the signing of a definitive agreement for Transgenomic to acquire the diagnostic business of Clinical Data, Inc. This acquisition includes a suite of proprietary genetic commercial tests, certain proprietary biomarker assays, and the CLIA-certified laboratory operations of Clinical Data for a purchase price of approximately $15.4 million, primarily in cash and notes.

29 Nov 2010

Hepcidin hormone may be potential therapeutic tool for anemic blood disorders

A hormone made by the body may be a potential therapeutic tool for the treatment of two anemic blood disorders beta-thalassemia and hemochromatosis. The new research was led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College and published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation and the journal Blood.

24 Nov 2010

More salt in many holiday meals, cardiologist warns

There can be far more salt in many holiday meals than people realize, and the proof can be found at hospital emergency rooms. Heart problems aggravated or unmasked after ingestion of a significant amount of salt tend to make holidays such as Thanksgiving, Passover and Christmas very busy times for health providers like University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) cardiologist Marc Klapholz, M.D., F.A.C.C.

24 Nov 2010

FDA clears BG Medicine's Galectin-3 test to identify high risk patients with cardiovascular disease

BG Medicine, Inc., a U.S.-based life sciences company, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the company's Galectin-3 test for use in conjunction with clinical evaluation as an aid to assess the prognosis of patients diagnosed with chronic heart failure. This marks the first time the FDA has cleared a test to measure galectin-3 blood levels, and is the first novel cardiac test cleared by the FDA in five years.

23 Nov 2010

Budapest meeting to highlight discrepancies in using implantable devices among European countries

Even though the use of implantable devices for the treatment of heart failure and heart rhythm disturbances has increased enormously in Europe in recent years, there still remain large differences between countries. Indeed, a report last year in the European Journal of Heart Failure found that there is an underuse of devices in many of the European countries surveyed. This is especially so in the emerging economies of Eastern Europe.

23 Nov 2010

Innovative new roles and occupations in health sector of the future

Innovative new roles and occupations that could possibly emerge in the health sector of the future are explored in a new working paper published today by Skills for Health.

23 Nov 2010

Implanted devices to treat cardiac dysfunction show success in real world use

Implanted devices that treat cardiac dysfunction in heart failure patients are as successful in "real world" use as they are in controlled clinical trial settings, according to a large new study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

23 Nov 2010

U.S mortality rate from congenital heart defects drops 24%: Report

The U.S. death rate from congenital heart defects dropped 24 percent from 1999 to 2006 among children and adults, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

23 Nov 2010

HIV drugs lead to insulin resistance

The same powerful drugs that have extended the lives of countless people with HIV come with a price - insulin resistance that can lead to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

23 Nov 2010

Arthritis Foundation, Covidien join forces to help Americans suffering from osteoarthritis

The Arthritis Foundation and Covidien have joined forces to help advance awareness and support for millions of people suffering from osteoarthritis in the United States.

23 Nov 2010

Medtronic enters merger agreement to acquire Ardian

Medtronic, Inc. and privately-held Ardian, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a merger agreement whereby Medtronic will acquire Ardian.

22 Nov 2010

University of Leicester holds first Doctoral Inaugural Lectures

The University of Leicester Graduate School is holding the first Doctoral Inaugural Lectures of the year on Wednesday, 24 November.

20 Nov 2010

Pfizer's Phase 3 AXIS 1032 trial for metastatic renal cell carcinoma meets primary endpoint

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the Phase 3 AXIS 1032 trial (A4061032), studying the investigational compound axitinib in previously treated patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), has met its primary endpoint, demonstrating that axitinib significantly extended progression-free survival when compared to sorafenib, in the study population.

20 Nov 2010

Acceleron presents ACE-041 interim results for advanced cancer at EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium

Acceleron Pharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel protein therapeutics that regulate the growth and development of tissues and cells, including muscle, bone, red blood cells, and vasculature, today announced the presentation of interim results from the first-in-human clinical study of ACE-041 in patients with advanced cancer at the 22nd EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Berlin, Germany.

20 Nov 2010

Boston Scientific's CRT-Ds, ICDs receive CE Mark approval

Boston Scientific Corporation today announced CE Mark approval of its INCEPTA, ENERGEN and PUNCTUA cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators and implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

19 Nov 2010

FDA approves new drug application for NEXTERONE Premixed Injection

Prism Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has approved the supplemental new drug application for NEXTERONE (amiodarone HCl) Premixed Injection, the first and only premixed intravenous (IV) bag formulation of the antiarrhythmic agent amiodarone IV.

19 Nov 2010