News and views
February 2011 Br J Cardiol 2011;18:59-61
Ticagrelor approved in Europe
Ticagrelor (Brilique®, Astra Zeneca) has received authorisation from the European Medicines Agency for use in combination with aspirin in the prevention of atherothrombotic events in adults with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The authorisation follows publication of data from the PLATO study carried out in over 18,000 patients with ACS. At 12 months, ticagrelor and aspirin resulted in a reduction in cardiovascular-related death, myocardial infarction, or stroke compared to clopidogrel and aspirin (ticagrelor group 9.8% versus clopidogrel group 11.7%). Bleeding complication rates were similar with the two agents....
February 2011 Br J Cardiol 2011;18:9-10
Heart failure registry looks at mortality with ARBs
Use of the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) candesartan was associated with a lower mortality than losartan in a Swedish registry of heart failure patients....
February 2011 Br J Cardiol 2011;18:9-10
Statins and CV events in patients with abnormal liver tests
According to a recent study, led by Vasilis Athyros from the Hippokration University Hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece, and Dimitri Mikhailidis from University College London, patients with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) receive a substantially greater cardiovascular benefit from statin treatment compared with patients who have normal liver tests. These findings suggest that statins are a safe and promising treatment strategy for patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)....
February 2011 Br J Cardiol 2011;18:11-3
News from the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2010
News from the world of cardiology. ...
February 2011 Br J Cardiol 2011;18:17-8 Meeting report
Beyond cardiovascular disease: SHARP Scientific Meeting 2010
The 2010 Scientific Meeting of the Scottish Heart and Arterial Prevention Group (SHARP) took place in November 2010 and addressed, in detail, the interface of cardiovascular disease (CVD) with other disease categories and specialties. ...
February 2011 Br J Cardiol 2011;18:19-20
British Cardiovascular Society: training division
Welcome to the third of the series of news and reviews from the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS). In this article, Dr Jim Hall, Vice-President for Training BCS, gives an overview of the Society’s involvement in training in cardiovascular medicine in the UK....
February 2011 Br J Cardiol 2011;18:21-2
South by Southwest
We continue our series in which Consultant Interventionist Dr Michael Norell takes a sideways look at life in the cath lab…and beyond. In this column, he considers conference accommodation....
November 2010 Br J Cardiol 2010;17:259-63
Rosiglitazone suspended in Europe
The diabetes drug, rosiglitazone (Avandia®, GlaxoSmithKline), has been suspended in Europe, following a review of cardiovascular safety data by the European Medicines Agency (EMA)....
November 2010 Br J Cardiol 2010;17:259-63
Home monitoring of INR is a viable alternative
Home INR testing in patients taking warfarin was associated with similar event rates as monthly high-quality clinic testing in a new study, which the authors say has "the potential for a major clinical impact"....
