All GLG News Analyses Filed Under: Cardiology

The decision by Takeda to halt development of TAK-475, is not surprising considering the problems faced now by companies trying to get regulatory approval for new lipid-lowering drugs. TAK-475 was not more potent, but was thought to have a better safety profile than statins. However, because the safety...

Plaque inflamamtion involves several process , leading to destabilisation and rupture with subsequent embolism. Antiinflammatory drugs may decrease this process, but a single target such as leucotriene decrease is not sufficient. However this trial is interesting as it provide new pathways allowing...

The development of the new technology related to Stereotaxis has been slow going.  While there is much hope there is also much hype.  It is not clear that Stereotaxis really adds much to the success of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillaiton.  There has been a vocal minority...

Plasugrel is an attractive new medication for those patients undergoing cardiac catheterization with subsequent coronary intervention.  However, its niche will be with those patients at lower bleeding risk.  This is due to the fact that in the trial TRITON TIMI 38, prasugrel (which acts via...

We need meds that lower both LDL and help with triglycerides and HDL. With issues now with zetia and vytorin, the introduction of this combo could not be more fortuitous.

Simcor does not remove the major complication that occurs with niacin which is flushing. I do not see this as a successful drug.

This is yet another trial proving that clinicians should not be fooled by surrogate endpoints - only the real thing counts, namely hard end-point studies. Just like the negative FIELD study before it this just shows that over-confidence in surrogates like plasma cholesterol, HDL or triglycerides is...

The oral anticoagulant market is huge and expanding. It is currently dominated by warfarin, which is widely prescribed, but which needs monthly blood draws to monitor the treatment intensity. The parenteral (non-oral) anticoagulant market is dominated by two players: [unfractioned] heparin (which is...

As is so often the case, the long-term benefits or risks of a particular therapy can only be evaluated by equally long-term studies. And the marketing and patent facts of life mean that drugs are released and pushed before all the data (or even sufficient data) is in, often with disastrous effects.

Statin therapy in lower risk populations will not have as profound an effect as in high risk subsets but still very likely has overall positive benefits.