Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

WorldHeart announces completion of private placement

World Heart Corporation, a developer of mechanical circulatory systems, announced today that it has completed its previously announced private placement of common stock and warrants to purchase common stock. Gross proceeds from the offering were approximately $25.3 million. Proceeds from the private placement are expected to be used for general corporate and working capital purposes.

21 Oct 2010

Link between low testosterone and heart disease deaths: Study

In a new study it was seen that men diagnosed with coronary heart disease with low testosterone were almost twice as likely to die over a seven year period. The team led by Prof Kevin Channer a cardiologist of the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield looked at 930 men for the study. This study is in contrast to the popular belief that testosterone increases heart disease risk. The study was published in the journal Online First Heart.

21 Oct 2010

Vascular Solutions acquires EXPRO Elite and MICRO Elite snare products from Radius

Vascular Solutions, Inc. today announced that it has acquired the assets related to the EXPRO Elite™ and MICRO Elite™ snare products from Radius Medical Technologies, Inc. and its subsidiary, Radius Medical, LLC. Vascular Solutions has been selling the EXPRO Elite™ and MICRO Elite™ snares in the U.S. under a distribution relationship with Radius since 2008, while in international markets Radius has been selling the products through a network of independent distributors.

21 Oct 2010

Genzyme third quarter revenue increases to $1.0 billion

Genzyme Corp. today reported third-quarter earnings growth driven by increased shipments of Cerezyme® (imiglucerase for injection). Patients in the United States began returning to normal dosing levels last month, and patients globally are expected to be able to do so this quarter. Earnings growth in the third quarter was also driven by strong revenue from Lumizyme™ (alglucosidase alfa) and cost reduction measures.

21 Oct 2010

Beaumont Hospital announces opening of new Ernst Cardiovascular Center

Beaumont Hospitals' world renowned heart center has expanded and enhanced its services with the Oct. 18 opening of the new Ernst Cardiovascular Center at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak.

21 Oct 2010

Z-Medica enters agreement with two Swedish medical device distributors for QuikClot products

Z-Medica Corporation, a medical device company developing innovative hemostatic agents, today announced that it has signed exclusive distribution agreements with Vingmed AB and Mediplast AB, two leading Swedish medical device distributors, for distribution of its QuikClot line of hemostatic agents in Sweden, Denmark and Norway for the first time.

From Medica Corporation 21 Oct 2010

Alexion announces results of eculizumab two open-label Phase 2 studies for aHUS treatment

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its two open-label Phase 2 studies investigating eculizumab (Soliris) as a treatment for patients with atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS) have met the primary and key secondary endpoints with high clinical and statistical significance, in interim analyses.

21 Oct 2010

Genzyme reports results of Clolar combination Phase 3 trial in adult AML

Genzyme Corporation announced results today from its CLASSIC I phase 3 trial comparing Clolar® (clofarabine) in combination with the chemotherapy agent cytarabine (ara-c) to cytarabine plus placebo in relapsed-refractory adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

21 Oct 2010

FDA approves Herceptin with chemotherapy for HER2-positive metastatic cancer

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Herceptin (trastuzumab) in combination with chemotherapy (cisplatin plus either capecitabine or 5-fluorouracil [5-FU]) for HER2-positive metastatic (cancer that has spread) cancer of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction, in men and women who have not received prior medicines for their metastatic disease.

21 Oct 2010

NHS needs £20bn of efficiency savings

Britain’s NHS would become one of only two government departments not to face budget cuts in the latest spending review. However some key features have been removed. This includes one-week wait for cancer diagnosis and free prescriptions for people with long-term illnesses.

20 Oct 2010

Abbott third quarter worldwide sales increase 11.8% to $8.7 billion

Abbott today announced financial results for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2010.

20 Oct 2010

Pfizer enters partnership with Teuto to develop, commercialize generic medicines

Pfizer Inc. announced today that it is entering into a partnership with Laboratorio Teuto Brasileiro S.A., a leading company in the Brazilian generics industry, to develop and commercialize generic medicines.

20 Oct 2010

St. Jude Medical third quarter net sales increase 7% to $1.240 billion

St. Jude Medical, Inc. today reported sales and net earnings for the third quarter ended October 2, 2010.

20 Oct 2010

CRN reinforces importance of DHA before, during and after pregnancy

In response to a study regarding fish oil use during pregnancy published in the October 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement industry, reminds pregnant and lactating women of the undisputed importance of consuming the recommended amounts of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) throughout pregnancy.

20 Oct 2010

ACS NSQIP recognizes Christiana Care Health System as participating hospital

The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) has recognized Christiana Care Health System as one of 26 ACS NSQIP participating hospitals in the United States that have achieved exemplary outcomes for surgical patient care.

20 Oct 2010

PBS-Bio announces three new contracts to develop cancer therapy

In an industry that faces increasing challenges in delivering new drugs to patients, Predictive Biomarker Sciences (PBS-Bio) today announced three new contracts aimed at bringing new medicines to the marketplace.

20 Oct 2010

Study finds massive blood transfusion associated with severe complications

A study presented at this year's American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting indicates that massive blood transfusion is associated with a significant increase in perioperative risk for mortality, cardiopulmonary complications, and wound-related and infectious complications in the long term.

20 Oct 2010

FDA approves Boehringer Ingelheim's Pradaxa for stroke risk reduction in patients with non-valvular AF

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate), Boehringer Ingelheim's novel, oral direct thrombin inhibitor for stroke risk reduction in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) marking the first approval of a new oral anticoagulant in the U.S. in more than 50 years.

20 Oct 2010

Aspirin before cardiac surgery reduces postoperative cardiocerebral complications

A study presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists 2010 Annual Meeting revealed that use of aspirin before cardiac surgery reduced postoperative cardiocerebral complications, including stroke, myocardial ischemia, heart block and cardiac arrest by more than 33 percent when compared to patients who did not use aspirin.

20 Oct 2010

Smokers have more complications and higher death rate after surgery than non-smokers

Results from a clinical study presented at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2010 found that smokers have significantly more complications post-surgery than non-smokers, including a higher death rate.

20 Oct 2010