News | Cardiovascular diseases

News

Antidepressants ‘substantially increase risk’ of low blood pressure when standing up in older people, study results suggest

Researchers found that patients aged over 60 years who were prescribed selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors were at a four-fold increased risk of postural hypotension in first four weeks of use.…

Published: 21 May 2025

News

Earlier treatment with combination of drugs could prevent 5,000 heart attacks per decade, study results suggest

Researchers found that patients who received a combination treatment of statins and ezetimibe within 12 weeks of a heart attack and lowered their cholesterol to target-level early were less at risk of heart attacks, strokes and deaths.…

Published: 16 April 2025

News

NHS increases funding for inclisiran although uptake remains ‘slower than expected’

In a letter sent to colleagues, NHS England said it had increased the reimbursement fee for inclisiran from £50 to £60.…

Published: 3 April 2025

News

BMI should be recorded annually for people with long-term conditions, says NICE

The draft quality standard on overweight and obesity management also advises healthcare professionals to seek permission in a sensitive, non-judgemental way before discussing weight.…

Published: 20 March 2025

News

Two-thirds of cholesterol point-of-care tests fail to meet standards, researchers warn

Authors of a literature review found that only two out of six point-of-care tests “mostly met” necessary standards for use in the NHS Health Check programme.…

Published: 19 March 2025

Opinion

It is an exciting time to be a respiratory pharmacist — and we need more of them

Specialist respiratory pharmacists are in short supply in England and Wales, but investing in developing this workforce will show benefit for pharmacy and patients.…

Published: 12 March 2025

News

Standard-dose DOACs not necessarily better than reduced dose, study results suggest

Researchers found that “non-inferiority” of a reduced dose of direct oral anticoagulants could not be determined when compared with a standard dose, with “reliably low rates” of recurrent venous thromboembolism.…

Published: 4 March 2025

News

Inclisiran prescribed to 7% of expected target population in three years, NHS data reveal

Exclusive: The Royal College of General Practitioners and the British Medical Association maintain that caution should be taken when prescribing inclisiran since long-term trial data on the drug will not be available until 2026.…

Published: 13 February 2025

News

New class of anticoagulant found to ‘overwhelmingly’ reduce bleeding events in patients with atrial fibrillation

Experts say the results of this “exciting” two-year study of abelacimab “add to the growing evidence that inhibition of factor XI may preferentially impact thrombosis over haemostasis”.…

Published: 28 January 2025

Letter

Using digital tools to support clinical pharmacist HRT reviews in primary care

A three-monthly review is recommended after starting hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to assess menopausal symptom control, side effects and bleeding patterns. These factors are also evaluated during an annual review, as well as any changes in medical history1. A programme was design…

Published: 3 January 2025