GLG News by Physicians who Treat Peripheral Vascular Disease

Three key points1) Large unmet need2) Need to assess efficacy against current available treatment3) Safety issues need to be clarified.

Recent studies have demonstrated higher rates of subacute and late stent thrombosis for DES after discontinuation of Plavix compared to bare metal stents and this calls into question the safety of this trend.Drug eluting stents account for 90% of stents placed in many institutions in the US and Europe....

 Pulmonary emboli are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the US - particularly in post-surgical and trauma patients.The mainstay of treatment and prevention include anticoagulation, sequential compression devices and vena caval filters.Filters have been the last resort for patients who...

 Anti-oxidant vitamins (primarily Vit A and E but to a lesser extent Vit C) have long been touted as cardioprotective agents. There is some logic to this and a large industry of "cardiac health" nutritional agents has sprung up and been heavily promoted by alternative medicine proponents, nutritionists,...

  Tekturna is an oral, once daily medication which is the first renin inhibitor on the US market.It inhibits renin directly and blocks the renin-angiotensin system at its initiation. This prevents buildup of angiotensin I and II and does not interfere with the kinin system.In clinical trials, Tekturna...

This article summarizes the DTC strategies used to encourage generic utilization for prescription therapies, changing the dynamic from the perception that these therapies are inferior but acceptable alternatives to branded therapies to the impression that these are superior from a consumer value st...

   There has been recent interest in natural orifice surgery as a new type of minimally invasive surgery. This has also been termed incisionless surgery because there are no noticible skin incisions.This involves inserting surgical instruments via the mouth or anus to perform procedures in...

Crestor (rosuvastatin) is an HMG CoA reductase inhibitor that blocks endogenous production of cholesterol.Zetia (ezetimibe) blocks dietary cholesterol absorption from the GI tract. The combination of these 2 agents has a significantly better result in reaching the recommended and optional ATP III goals...

Much attention has been brought to HDL, its metabolism and potential for risk modification with HDL raising therapies.  With the demise of the CETP inhibitor torcetrapib (ILLUMINATE and ILLUSTRATE NEJM 2007; 356:1304-1316) and the ACAT inhibitor pactimibe in the ACTIVATE study (NEJM 354:1253-1263)...

UNLOAD has provided additional information about the potential utility for ultrafiltration in the management of acutely decompensated patients with CHF admitted to the hospital for volume unloading routinely performed with IV diuretics.Although safety and efficacy may be superior to diuretic based regimens...