Sirolimus News and Research

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TCT Featured Clinical Trials to be presented on September 24 in San Francisco

A series of Featured Clinical Trials will be presented at Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT), in addition to late-breaking clinical trials. These featured clinical trials represent groundbreaking research and will yield data and insight that will further the field of interventional cardiology.

21 Aug 2009

New understanding on Gleevec's limitations

University of Michigan researchers have developed an animal model that provides strong evidence why imatinib, marketed as Gleevec, helps patients with chronic myeloid leukemia survive longer, but does not keep the disease from returning if treatment ends.

4 Aug 2009

Transplant drug Rapamycin stimulates immune memory

Rapamycin, a drug given to transplant recipients to suppress their immune systems, has a paradoxical effect on cells responsible for immune memory, scientists at the Emory Vaccine Center have discovered.

22 Jun 2009

Grapefruit juice boosts efficacy of drug rapamycin

In a small, early clinical trial, researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center have found that combining eight ounces of grapefruit juice with the drug rapamycin can increase drug levels, allowing lower doses of the drug to be given.

20 Apr 2009

Saving limbs with drug-eluting stents

Attempts to treat critical limb ischemia in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients with below-the-knee angioplasty are still thwarted by restenosis (the re-narrowing of the artery at the site of angioplasty or stenting), the need for repeat treatments and the continued progression of atherosclerotic disease, leading to tissue death (gangrene) and amputation.

11 Mar 2009

Cardiac stent patients with diabetes may benefit from drug that counteracts the effects of leptin

The naturally high levels of leptin in diabetic patients may reduce the effectiveness of drug-eluting stents used to treat heart blockages, but using a chemical that differs from the one commonly used to coat stents could counteract this effect.

17 Dec 2008

New generation drug-eluting stent demonstrates equivalent efficacy to market leader in 'real world'

In the first study of its kind, a drug-eluting stent (DES) with a biodegradable polymer applied only to the outer surface has been demonstrated as safe and effective as one of the most established and widely used types of DES with a durable polymer, in equivalent conditions to everyday clinical practice.

1 Sep 2008

Anti-rejection drug sirolimus may prolong organ life in noncompliant kidney transplant patients

New research from the University of California, San Diego Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, shows that the anti-rejection drug sirolimus (brand name Rapamune) may help prolong the clinical benefit of transplanted kidneys and delay rejection, especially in patients who do not regularly take their prescribed medications (are "non-compliant"). While the transplant field has been highly successful at reducing rejection and graft loss in the first year, post-transplant, reducing risk for graft rejection in the long-term has proved more difficult.

2 Jun 2008

Anti-rejection drug sirolimus may increase risk of diabetes after kidney transplant

For patients undergoing kidney transplantation, treatment with the anti-rejection drug sirolimus may lead to an increased risk of diabetes, reports a study in the July Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

22 May 2008

Drug-releasing stent shows promise for improving outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease

For patients who underwent angioplasty to open narrowed coronary arteries, the use of stents releasing the drug everolimus reduced the rate of renarrowing of the arteries and significantly reduced the risk of major cardiac events, compared to the widely-used paclitaxel-releasing stents, according to a study in the April 23/30 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

22 Apr 2008

Study results on novel drug-eluting stent coated with a biodegradable polymer

"Real-world" use of a novel drug-eluting stent coated with a biodegradable polymer is associated with good clinical outcomes, according to one-year data from a large international registry.

1 Apr 2008

Matrix registry probes adherence to clopidogrel at 1 year

A large community-based registry of patients treated with drug-eluting stents is providing important insight into how long patients with complex coronary artery disease typically stick to their doctors' orders to take clopidogrel, a drug that prevents unwanted blood clots; why they stop taking the drug; and the long-term consequences of that decision.

1 Apr 2008

Drug-eluting stents outperform bare-metal stents

New evidence from a large randomized study is answering important questions about the best approach to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with a type of heart attack known as ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

31 Mar 2008

Comparison of anticoagulants for angioplasty show similar outcomes

In a comparison of anticoagulants and stents for use with angioplasty following a heart attack, the anticoagulants abciximab and tirofiban had similar outcomes for some cardiac measures within 90 minutes after the procedure, while patients who received stents that released the drug sirolimus had a lower risk of major adverse cardiac events within 8 months than patients who received uncoated stents, according to a JAMA study being released early online March 30 to coincide with its presentation at the annual conference of the American College of Cardiology.

31 Mar 2008

Common drug-releasing coronary stents appear to have similar clinical outcomes

A comparison of use of the first two commercially available drug-releasing coronary stents (for the medications sirolimus and paclitaxel) among patients in "everyday clinical practice" indicates no significant differences for outcomes such as heart attack or cardiac death, according to a study in the January 30 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

30 Jan 2008

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis - potential clues into the treatment and diagnosis

Studies published in the Jan. 10 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) are providing clues into the treatment and diagnosis of LAM, or lymphangioleiomyomatosis, a progressive and deadly lung disease that affects women in their childbearing years.

11 Jan 2008

Chemical first found on Easter Island could treat tuberous sclerosis

A new study has shown promising results in fighting a severe genetic disorder which can create tumours throughout the body.

11 Jan 2008

The drug sirolimus shrinks tumors, improves lung function

The drug sirolimus, normally used to help transplant patients fight organ rejection, may eventually be used as a less invasive treatment for a tumor called angiomyolipomata in patients with who would otherwise face surgery.

10 Jan 2008

Drug-eluting stents versus bare-metal stents

Drug-eluting stents are just as safe and effective as traditional bare-metal stents when used in routine clinical practice, according to a new study by researchers at Rhode Island Hospital.

19 Nov 2007

Long term follow up of additional Swedish registry data does not indicate an increased

Four years of follow up including additional patients in the Swedish Coronary angiography and angioplasty registry (SCAAR) does no longer indicate any increased mortality in patients treated with drug eluting stents compared to patients treated with bare metal stents.

2 Sep 2007