Statin News and Research

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Statins are drugs used to lower cholesterol. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries, narrowing or even blocking them.

CCS updates the Canadian guidelines for the management and treatment of dyslipidemia

The management of dyslipidemia continues to evolve and despite improvements in recurrent cardiovascular events and a decrease in cardiac mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD) still represents the major burden of disease in this country.

29 Oct 2009

Long-term effects of statin therapy could lead to transient or permanent cognitive impairment

Besides their tremendous value in treating high cholesterol and lowering the risk of heart disease, statins have also been reported to potentially lower the risks of other diseases, such as dementia. However, a study in the October Journal of Lipid Research finds that similar statin drugs can have profoundly different effects on brain cells -both beneficial and detrimental.

29 Oct 2009

Berkeley HeartLab enters into collaborative agreement

Berkeley HeartLab (BHL), a subsidiary of Celera Corporation, announced today that it has entered into collaborative agreements with Geisinger Medical Center and Proven Diagnostics, a clinical laboratory service recently launched by Geisinger Health System.

29 Oct 2009

PPD plans to separate compound partnering business from CRO business; spin-off to result in independent public companies

PPD, Inc. today announced its board of directors has authorized management to proceed with preparations to spin off its compound partnering business from its core contract research organization, or CRO, business.

28 Oct 2009

Upsher-Smith Laboratories publishes data on Slo-Niacin and Lipitor combination study

Results of the SLIM Study ("Slo-Niacin® and Atorvastatin Treatment of Lipoproteins and Inflammatory Markers in Combined Hyperlipidemia") were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology.

28 Oct 2009

Study reveals that adding ezetimibe to atorvastatin aids in reducing cholesterol

Edmonton - Adding ezetimibe to atorvastatin significantly boosted the attainment of lipid targets as specified by both Canadian and European guidelines in elderly patients aged 65 and older and the combination produced superior results than simply increasing the dose of atorvastatin alone, Dr. Christian Constance told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

27 Oct 2009

LIVALO statin effective than simvastatin in reducing lipid levels

New Phase III data published today in "Current Medical Research and Opinion" highlight that the recommended starting dose of 2 mg of LIVALO (pitavastatin), a novel synthetic statin, was statistically superior to simvastatin at a dose of 20 mg over 12 weeks in reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

22 Oct 2009

Comparative Effectiveness Research: One way to beat the competition

A higher percentage of companies are using Comparative Effectiveness Research to help with pricing and reimbursement decisions, according to new research from Cutting Edge Information.

21 Oct 2009

Amarin selects Medpace as CRO for its Phase 3 AMR101 MARINE clinical study

Amarin Corporation plc today announced that it has executed an agreement with Medpace, Inc. (‘Medpace’), a leading Contract Research Organization (CRO) with expertise in conducting clinical trials in cardiovascular and metabolic disease, to engage their services in the execution of its Phase 3 clinical trials with AMR101 in patients with very high triglyceride levels (the AMR101 MARINE Study) and mixed dyslipidemia.

19 Oct 2009

AstraZeneca's CRESTOR approved for treating pediatric patients with HeFH

AstraZeneca today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved CRESTOR® (rosuvastatin calcium) for use in pediatric patients ages 10-17 with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) when diet therapy fails to reduce elevated cholesterol. HeFH, a genetic disease, is characterized by high LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) and increased risk of early cardiovascular disease.

19 Oct 2009

Patients on statin drugs may have lower AAA surgery costs

Patients taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may have better results and lower procedure costs when having a common operation for repairing a bulging aorta, according to a new study presented at the 95th annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

15 Oct 2009

CardioPharma to submit an NDA for CardiaPill

CardioPharma is beginning the final funding phase before submitting an NDA for CardiaPill, the world's first patented triple-combination cardiovascular polypill. "The recent news from Kaiser Permanente reinforces that in this cost containment and efficacy oriented healthcare environment, CardiaPill is in the right place at the right time," stated Don Sellers, CardioPharma's Chairman and CEO.

9 Oct 2009

FDA approves Daiichi Sankyo's sNDA for Welchol

Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. (DSI) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for Welchol® (colesevelam HCl) to be used as an adjunct to diet and exercise for the reduction of elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in boys and postmenarchal girls, 10 to 17 years of age, with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (heFH) alone or in combination with a statin after failing an adequate trial of diet therapy.

7 Oct 2009

ALL initiative three-year clinical observational study results published

A program that bundled two generic, low-cost drugs - a cholesterol-lowering statin and a blood pressure-lowering drug - and gave daily doses to 68,560 people with diabetes or heart disease for two years is estimated to have prevented 1,271 heart attacks and strokes in the first year following the study period, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in the American Journal of Managed Care.

3 Oct 2009

Resverlogix RVX-208 exceeds expectations in Phase 1b/2a clinical trial

Resverlogix Corp. announced today that results from the Company's Phase 1b/2a clinical trial have met and exceeded expectations by successfully concluding the drug, RVX-208, is safe and tolerable. Most importantly RVX-208 has met its primary endpoint to increase the production of plasma ApoA-I, the key cardioprotective protein in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), often referred to as "good" cholesterol.

1 Oct 2009

Karo Bio announces clinical phase II results of thyroid hormone analog eprotirome

The Swedish biotech company Karo Bio today announced that results from a clinical phase II study of the company’s thyroid hormone analog eprotirome, and its additive effects on dyslipidemia in ezetimibe-treated patients, are subject to a scientific presentation.

24 Sep 2009

Celera and Medco collaborate in KIF6 gene variant testing

Celera Corporation (NASDAQ:CRA) and Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MHS), today announced that they have entered into a research collaboration to evaluate whether testing for a gene variant called KIF6 increases patient adherence with statin therapy. Current studies have suggested that only about 50 to 60 percent of the patients who receive a prescription for a lipid-lowering drug are taking the medication after six months.

23 Sep 2009

Study reveals ineffectiveness of insulin and metformin against inflammatory biomarkers

In patients with recent onset type-2 diabetes, treatment with insulin or the diabetes drug metformin did not reduce inflammatory biomarkers, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, although the treatment did improve glucose control, according to a study in the September 16 issue of JAMA.

16 Sep 2009

Low HDL-cholesterol and high triglycerides linked to increased risk of CHD

Low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and raised triglycerides, affecting millions of patients worldwide, are strongly linked to significantly increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) even in patients who achieve or surpass current low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets.

3 Sep 2009