UK launch for cholesterol-lowering PCSK9 inhibitor An injectable treatment has been launched for people who struggle to control their cholesterol levels through established diet and drug regimes, including patients with the genetic lipid disorder familial hypercholesterolaemia.…
Risk of heart attack with antiepileptics of small clinical relevance on population level Some antiepileptic drugs can increase lipid levels and researchers found that this was associated with a small but not clinically relevant risk of heart attack…
Researchers boost hypertension treatment using unconventional approach Using approved drugs in unconventional ways could help improve compliance in patients with hypertension, according to a study in The Journal of Clinical Hypertension.…
Heart risks with newer hepatitis C drugs and amiodarone The EMA has warned against the use of antiarrhythmic amiodarone in combination with newer hepatitis C infection treatments after reports of heart problems.…
Metformin plays a role in lowering blood cholesterol Metformin, one of the most widely used medications for type 2 diabetes, has a positive effect on LDL cholesterol as well as blood glucose, according to research published in Diabetes Care.…
Preclinical randomised controlled trials could tackle high attrition rates in drug development Researchers have come up with a potential solution to the problem of experimental drugs failing in clinical trials, despite promising results from preclinical, animal studies.…
Rapid uptake of new oral anticoagulants in the United States More patients with atrial fibrillation are being protected against blood clots after the introduction of new direct oral anticoagulant drugs.…
MHRA review concludes alteplase is safe for treating acute ischaemic stroke The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has backed the continued use of the thrombolytic drug alteplase for up to 4.5 hours after the onset of symptoms of acute ischaemic stroke.…
First PCSK9 inhibitors approved in Europe and United States The US Food and Drug Administration has approved alirocumab (Praluent), days after evolocumab (Repatha) became the first PCSK9 inhibitor to be approved in the world.…
More people should be taking statins for primary prevention, US study suggests US guidelines that set the threshold for starting statin therapy at a lower level than the threshold recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in England are cost effective, say researchers.…