Losartan News and Research

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Losartan is a drug used to treat high blood pressure. Losartan blocks the action of chemicals that make blood vessels constrict (get narrower). It is a type of angiotensin II receptor antagonist. Also called Cozaar and losartan potassium.

New sites opened across the South West for Alzheimer’s disease clinical trial

People with Alzheimer’s disease are helping with a ground-breaking government-funded trial but with new sites recently opened in the South West more people are being asked to take part in the study led by academics from the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Queen’s University Belfast and University College London, and hosted by North Bristol NHS Trust.

19 Jan 2016

New treatment for Marfan syndrome works as well as beta blockers

A new treatment for Marfan syndrome, a rare genetic disease that can lead to heart problems, works as well as the currently recommended medical therapy, beta blockers, according to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine.

21 Nov 2014

Investigational treatment shows promise against Marfan syndrome

An investigational treatment for Marfan syndrome is as effective as the standard therapy at slowing enlargement of the aorta, the large artery of the heart that delivers blood to the body, new research shows. The findings indicate a second treatment option for Marfan patients, who are at high risk of sudden death from tears in the aorta.

18 Nov 2014

New path may lead to powerful adjunctive novel therapy for PTSD treatment

There are currently only two FDA-approved medications for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the United States. Both of these medications are serotonin uptake inhibitors. Despite the availability of these medications, many people diagnosed with PTSD remain symptomatic, highlighting the need for new medications for PTSD treatment.

12 Jun 2014

Drug used to treat hypertension prevents post-traumatic epilepsy in rodent model

Between 10 and 20 percent of all cases of epilepsy result from severe head injury, but a new drug promises to prevent post-traumatic seizures and may forestall further brain damage caused by seizures in those who already have epilepsy.

23 Apr 2014

CT scans predict effectiveness of chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer

Computed tomography (CT) scans routinely taken to guide the treatment of pancreatic cancer may provide an important secondary benefit. According to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the scans also reflect how well chemotherapy will penetrate the tumor, predicting the effectiveness of treatment.

11 Mar 2014

Johns Hopkins cardiologist receives first Harrington prize for innovation in medicine

Johns Hopkins pediatric cardiologist and geneticist Hal Dietz, M.D., has been awarded the first Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine for his work identifying the cause and a treatment for Marfan syndrome.

13 Feb 2014

Hypertension Drug May Aid Cancer Treatment

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2 Oct 2013

Common blood pressure drug reduces fatal cardiac problem in patients with Marfan syndrome

A common drug that is used to treat high blood pressure in the general population has been found to significantly reduce a dangerous and frequently fatal cardiac problem in patients with Marfan syndrome.

2 Sep 2013

Faulty genetic pathway is a potent player in many types of allergies, say researchers

Newly published research by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and the Johns Hopkins Institute of Genetic Medicine reveals that a faulty genetic pathway already known for its role in some connective tissue disorders is also a potent player in many types of allergies.

25 Jul 2013

Drugs used to control BP associated with lower risk of heart failure in diabetic patients

Two drugs, telmisartan and valsartan, which are used to reduce blood pressure in people with diabetes, are associated with a lower risk of hospitalization for heart attack, stroke or heart failure, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

9 Jul 2013

Merck full-year 2012 worldwide sales decrease 2% to $47.3 billion

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2012.

1 Feb 2013

Angiotensin II blockade does not seem to provide benefit to kidney transplant recipients

A drug that protects the kidneys of patients with chronic kidney disease does not seem to provide the same benefit to kidney transplant recipients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

11 Jan 2013

Latest polypill trial yields largest improvements yet

The results of the first trial to administer the polypill on the basis of age alone has shown the largest reductions in blood pressure and cholesterol level of any polypill trial to date, researchers report.

24 Jul 2012

Why is the incidence of gout increasing?

Gout has been described by the Daily Mail as something, “usually associated with port-swilling, over-fed elderly men of the 19th century”. (1) Recent research carried out at the Boston University School of Medicine, however, has found that the incidence of gout in the US is on the rise. (2) Thus, the condition is clearly not something that only affects this stereotype.

17 Jul 2012

Losartan may not increase risk of all-cause mortality in heart failure patients

Although observational studies have suggested that losartan, a drug used primarily for the treatment of hypertension, may be associated with an increased risk of death among patients with heart failure compared with other medications in the same class of drugs (angiotensin II receptor blockers [ARBs]), an analysis that included nearly 6,500 patients found that overall, use of losartan was not associated with increased all-cause death or cardiovascular death compared with use of the ARB candesartan, according to a study in the April 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Apr 2012

Marfan syndrome researcher to receive March of Dimes/Colonel Harland Sanders Award

A long-time clinician and researcher on Marfan syndrome who helped identify the syndrome's genetic cause and a potential treatment will be honored by the March of Dimes.

30 Mar 2012

Losartan may help prevent smoking-related COPD

Working with mice, scientists at Johns Hopkins have successfully used a commonly prescribed blood pressure medicine, losartan (Cozaar), to prevent almost all of the lung damage caused from two months of exposure to cigarette smoke. The treatment specifically targeted lung tissue breakdown, airway wall thickening, inflammation and lung over-expansion.

4 Jan 2012

Lostartan can reduce cigarette smoke-induced lung injury

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is among the most common causes of death in the US. It is a smoking-related disease for which there are currently no disease-altering therapies. However, hope that one could be developed is now provided by the work of Enid Neptune and colleagues, at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, in a mouse model of lung disease caused by exposure to cigarette smoke.

20 Dec 2011

Merck third quarter global sales increase 8% to $12.0 billion

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2011.

29 Oct 2011