An experimental drug that works in a novel way to lower cholesterol proved even more effective than statins and had few undesirable side effects, newly released data shows. The drug works by modifying the way cholesterol levels are naturally controlled. A protein produced in the liver helps limit the amount of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, that liver cells can remove from the bloodstream. The new drug, called REGN727, is a monoclonal antibody, made in a laboratory, that blocks the action of that protein. "About 5 to 10 percent of people can't tolerate statins at all, and more can't tolerate higher doses," said Dr. Evan Stein, director of the Metabolic and Atherosclerosis Research Center in Cincinnati and lead author of the trials. "It's still early in development, but for them this is potentially a most promising alternative." The studies were published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The unusual results have been greeted with cautious optimism. "The study shows that the drug has incredibly potent effect in lowering cholesterol," said Dr. Mario J. Garcia, chief of cardiology at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, who was not involved in the research. "Even though this is very exciting, and perhaps … Continue reading →

Public release date: 26-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Tracie White traciew@stanford.edu 650-723-7628 Stanford University Medical Center STANFORD, Calif. The under-reporting of the possible side effects of heart damage from cancer drugs puts patients at an increased risk for heart failure, according to two researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. In a commentary that will be published online March 26 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the Stanford researchers say urgent reforms are needed to standardize measurements of the potential toxicity of cancer drugs during clinical trials in order to prevent the publication of misleading results, as have appeared in such prestigious scientific journals as the Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine. "It's a major issue when adverse events aren't being counted in clinical trials, and this has led to a profound underappreciation of the risk for heart failure and other adverse cardiac events," said Ronald Witteles, MD, assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine and the first author of the commentary. The two researchers Witteles, a cardiologist at Stanford Hospital & Clinics, and co-author Melinda Telli, MD, assistant professor of oncology and a member of the Stanford Cancer Institute became concerned when they started seeing … Continue reading →

Mar 26, 2012 4:41pm Yana Svetlichnaya, M.D. reports: A new blood thinner offers simpler and safer treatment for pulmonary embolism, a deadly condition in which a lung blood vessel becomes blocked by a blood clot. Venous blood clots have long been treated with warfarin, a drug fraught with food and drug interactions. On top of keeping a strict diet, patients must comply with frequent blood tests and complex dosing schedules. But a new study suggests the drug rivaroxaban performs as well as warfarin in treating existing blood clots in the lung with less monitoring and fewer side effects. You dont have to go to the lab to monitor. Its a fixed dose. It is as effective, and it looks safer, said study authorDr. Harry Bueller, professor of vascular medicine at the American Medical Center in Amsterdam. Patients treatedwith rivaroxaban had similar rates of clot recurrence as patientstreated with warfarin. But they had a lower rate of bleeding, with nearlyhalf as many major bleeds as patients taking warfarin, according to the trial results presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Chicago. Bueller said rivaroxaban may soon replace warfarin in treating venous blood clots because its easier to manage and … Continue reading →