GLG News by Cardiologists (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut)

     There will need to be some changes in the process by which the FDA evaluates drugs and devices. Quick vetting will require: 1. Safety: No signals of danger 2. Cost: No increase in cost, or actual savings 3. Benefits: When compared to current therapy, not placebo      ...

Many times, nursing homes will call doctors practically demanding some sort of medicne for delusional or combative patients.  They will even suggest medicines by name.  Often, these phone calls occur at 3:00 AM, and the doctor gives a quick yes to give them an answer and get back to sleep....

“A requirement for demonstrating cardiovascular benefit will likely have major implications on the availability of new treatments for type 2 diabetes, because conclusive evidence of a reduced risk of macrovascular complications in type 2 diabetes has not yet been established for any of the currently...

Third party payers benefit the most from EHRs because it makes charts easier to audit   The cost of implementing an EHR is excessive for a small practice of 2-5 physicians.

The info that tekturna HCT works twice as well as HCTZ alone is not earth shattering.  Of course it's better.  That can be said of any HCT/medicine combination

It is well known that the addition of thiazide diuretic to ACEI or ARB treatment adds about 10 mm Hg reduction on top of the 10 mm Hg reduction provided by the ACEI or ARB agent.  It is expected that blocking renin in the renin angiotensin system with Tekturna would provide a similar result.

Patients with rare malignancies, especially those with already metastatic diseases, are being treated with novel oncologic agents.  However, as is being seen with many drugs, the hemodynamic consequences of these agents, in many cases a rise in blood pressure, may lead to cardiovascular consequences. ...

TRITON-TIMI 38 study of 13,608 patients with ACS compared prasugrel against clopidogrel, combined with aspirin.  Prasugrel reduced the combined rate of CV death, MI or stroke (12.1% for clopidogrel vs. 9.9% for prasugrel). The benefit came at a cost of increased serious bleeding (1.4%, vs....

Physicians have several possible conclusions that can be taken; These include: - the trial is flawed - the selection of patients with much less CIMT than previous trials such as ASAP and ARBITER flaws the study -  the failure to meet the trial endpoint is only a surrogate and clinical trial data...

Challenges to pharmaceutical patents prior to the "official" expiration of the patent are proliferating; if they are allowed to stand, that is, if the "original" patent is successfully voided one of the crucial financial incentives to novel pharmaceutical research will be abridged and the "profit" motive...