New blood thinner cuts down repeat heart attacks
Orlando, FL, United States (AHN) – A new anti-clotting drug reduces the risk of heart-related death, heart attack and stroke in patients who have been hospitalized with a heart attack or unstable chest pain.
The findings were presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association.
The drug, rivaroxaban, is marketed by Johnson & Johnson with Bayer AG under the brand name Xarelto. If approved for such use, the drug would open up a major new market and hopefully save scores of lives.
About 1.2 million people in the United States alone are discharged from hospitals each year after a heart attack or heart-related unstable chest pain.
Currently, the only anti-coagulant prescribed for such patients when they leave the hospital is warfarin. But difficulties in managing the 50-year-old medicine means it is not often used to prevent heart attacks. Numerous other trials have attempted to find a better alternative, but have failed.
Two doses were tested in the trials–a 2.5-milligram dose and a 5-milligram dose, each given twice daily.
When all patients taking the drug were analyzed, researchers found that 8.9 percent of those on rivaroxaban either died of heart causes or suffered a heart attack or stroke within two years, compared with 10.7 percent who were taking a placebo.
The 2.5-milligram dose was associated with a 34 percent reduction in the risk of heart-related death, 2.7 percent on the drug in comparison with 4.1 percent on the placebo, and a 32 percent reduction in death from any cause.
The study specifically excluded patients who had suffered a prior stroke or had a mini stroke. Such patients should not be candidates for treatment with the drug, the researchers say.
View full post on Health Treatment Stories
Johnson & Johnson halts production of drug-coated heart stents
Bridgewater, NJ, United States (AHN) – Consumer care products manufacturer Johnson & Johnson said it would halt the production of drug-coated heath stents by the year end.
The move, announced by the firm on Wednesday, is expected to create a vacuum in the $4-billion market amid concerns over the use of stents on some patients.
Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, will likely shed 900 to 1,000 jobs this year and the firm is expected to take a $500 million to $600 million restructuring charge this quarter.
The decision to stop making the drug-coated heart stents is both caused by weaker sales and questions over the necessity of the device for some patients. In 2010, Cordis’ global sales of the heart stents plummeted to $627 million from $2.6 billion in 2006.
Recent research indicate that the stent – a small device inserted through blood vessels to keep arteries open in the heart, is overused by doctors. New drugs that are cheaper, safer and more effective for some patients are more effective ways for many cardiovascular sufferers to avoid heart attacks or strokes.
With Cordis’ move, the dwindling heart stent market would be left to three remaining companies.
Seth Fischer, Cordia chairman worldwide, also blamed an appellate court’s decision last week that favored unlicensed competition for eroding the firm’s pricing, sales and market share.
The 900 to 1,000 jobs to be lost are at Cordis’ facilities in Puerto Rico and Ireland.
Cordis observed its 50 years of being a leader in the development and production of breakthrough treatments for cardiovascular ailments in 2009. From a garage in Miami, Florida, Cordis has grown to a global giant with sales of $3.1 billion in 2008. About 50 percent of the sales were outside the U.S.
Cordis introduced in the 1990s the heart stent, which was named one of the Top 30 Innovations of the Last 30 Years by the Wharton Business Schools and PBS’ Nightly Business Report.
View full post on Health Treatment Stories
Best Heart Foods
In today’s Western society it’s much easier, and not to mention quicker, to spend a few bucks at the McDonald ‘s across the street than it is to make a satisfying dinner. In a world of Big Macs, KFC and Häagen-Dazs ice cream, who really wants to eat their spinach and celery sticks? As a result, however, our fat-filled diets have brought about an epidemic of heart disease , which has become North America’s No. 1 killer. Fortunately, over the years scientists and nutritionists have studied the foods that are good for the heart, and some of these might come as a surprise. So, here’s a list of the best heart foods that you should include in your diet, and maybe it will help you avoid a trip to the doctor’s. Oats Oats belong to a larger category of foods referred to as whole grains. Whole grains contain the entire kernel as opposed to refined grains that have been processed to remove the bran and the germ. While this process allows certain grains to last longer on store shelves, it also removes much of the good stuff like B vitamins , vitamin E , fiber, and antioxidants. Oats, in particular, as found in your morning oatmeal, contain a soluble fiber known as beta-glucan that decreases the total cholesterol in your blood as well as your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. This is important because it is the LDL or “bad” cholesterol that’s responsible for heart attacks. Some studies that required people’s diets to be supplemented with oat bran showed a decrease in total cholesterol by as much as 18% while others have found a drop in LDL cholesterol by as much as 9%. In addition, whole grains have a low glycemic index, which is a measure of how high a food raises your blood sugar level. Foods with a low glycemic index have a clear health advantage, particularly in helping to prevent diabetes (a major risk factor for coronary heart disease). Next time you reach for that cereal bar for breakfast, maybe you should reconsider and make a bowl of oatmeal. Red wine Want to have your cake and eat it too? Then drink red wine. In moderation (4 to 8 ounces/day), red wine is cardio-protective. This effect comes from antioxidants found in red wine, particularly resveratrol. This compound found in grape extracts has several beneficial effects on the heart, including reducing LDL as well as total blood cholesterol. Moreover, resveratrol, as well as other polyphenols found in red wine, have been shown to reduce blood clots by inhibiting a component found in blood known as platelets. Similar to the action of aspirin, which is one of the mainstay therapies in heart attack prevention, red wine helps to prevent platelets from clumping together, which is a key event in coronary artery blockage. Our guide to the best heart foods continues…
Continue Reading
View full post on All Stories
‘Ulta-bad’ cholesterol discovered
The relationship which has been discovered between high cholesterol levels and heart disease has prompted many people here in Syracuse to eat healthier and live more active lifestyles in efforts to keep their cholesterol levels down. Heart disease…
View full post on All Stories
What’s worse than bad cholesterol Meet ultra-bad cholesterol
(CBS) What’s worse than bad cholesterol? Researchers say they have discovered “ultra-bad” cholesterol in some patients and the discovery can be a game changer for treating heart …
View full post on Health Stories
Combo Cholesterol Drugs Show No Added Heart Benefits
Combination of statins and niacin, both cholesterol modifying medications, don’t reduce the chances of having a heart attack, according to findings by the AIM-HIGH trial conducted by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). These findings prompted the NHLBI to stop its trial a year and a half early.
View full post on All Stories
Trial Stopped After Niacin Brings No Benefit to Heart Patients
THURSDAY, May 26 (HealthDay News) — Although early research had suggested that the nutrient niacin might raise levels of “good” cholesterol and thwart heart attacks, a major clinical trial has been stopped 18 months early because it has shown no such benefit.
View full post on All Stories
Taking Niacin Does Not Prevent Heart Problems
Giving a high dose of niacin to people with heart disease who are already taking a cholesterol-lowering statin does nothing more to prevent heart attacks and strokes, U.S. government researchers …
View full post on Health Stories
Dairy intake doesn’t lead to heart attacks, researchers say
Providence, RI, United States (AHN) – Although dairy products can be high in saturated fat, dairy consumption likely does not lead to heart disease, according to a new study.
Brown University researchers studied the health records of thousands of adults in Costa Rica and found that their levels of dairy consumption had nothing to do with their risk of heart attack.
The researchers hypothesize that the saturated fat in dairy products is still harmful, but other nutrients found in them may be protective against heart disease.
These potentially-beneficial nutrients include calcium, vitamin D, potassium, magnesium and conjugated linoleic acid.
The researchers point to eggs as an example of the changing attitudes toward dairy. Doctors used to warn against eating eggs on a regular basis because they are high in cholesterol, but more studies have emerged touting their health benefits because they are high in other nutrients.
View full post on All Stories
New study raises doubts about benefits of ezetimibe in patients suffering from high LDL cholesterol
More than 42 million Americans suffer from high cholesterol, and 63 million more have borderline high cholesterol. Over time, high levels of LDL cholesterol, often called “bad cholesterol,” build up along the walls of arteries and blood vessels, a process called atherosclerosis, which can lead to a high risk of heart disease, stroke and heart attack.
View full post on All Stories
Affordable Health Insurance- Dutch appeals court denies Apple’s plea to ban sale of Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
- Online shoe, clothing store Zappos hacked; passwords for 24 million users reset
- Kansas, Oklahoma insurers won’t get a break on rebate rule
- FAA to issue rules on pilot fatigue more than a year after deadline
- Japanese household spending dips as retail sales, unemployment edge up
- Texas Lawsuit Identifies Problems In Medicare Hospice Provisions
- Daylight Savings Time 2011: things to remember
- Premiums, Deductibles And Cost Sharing In Employer Health Plans Keep Rising
- BlackBerry outage over, RIM exec apologizes
- Insurance broker wants a slice of pizza parlor industry
- Cheap Airline tickets
- GM back on top as world’s biggest automaker
- VW sells record 5.1 million cars in 2011
- Honda widens recall for airbag problem
- GM CEO: Earnings good, but not good enough
- Chinese companies buying automaker Saab
- UAW ratifies deal with Ford
- Ford, United Auto Workers reach tentative contract
- GM enters electric car joint venture with Chinese automaker
- Honda recalls million cars worldwide
- GM, LG team up to create future electric vehicles
- Budget Car insurance
- First class stamp rises to 45 cents
- Visions for a healthier West Bank economy
- No. 1 worry among Americans is the economy
- German exports fall more than expected
- Illinois lawmakers to take up tax plan to keep CME, Sears in state
- Cottage industries offer hope in former war zone
- Fear of financial losses drive soaring price of gold
- Iron ore prices could slide to $140 per tonne
- Economists: U.S. has no way to avoid double dip recession
- Obama vows to do away with millionaire tax cuts, reduce deficit
- Personal Loans
- Never send money to relatives using Paypal
- Prevent Banks from Holding Checks
- Sending Money Abroad – Western Union Alternatives
- Rent to Own Furnishings – A Rip-Off?
- Are Canadian Housing Prices at the Top?
- Low Interest Credit Card Checks
- U.S. lawmakers aim to lure foreigners to buy American homes
- BoE pushes banks to cut bonuses, dividends to improve balance sheets
- No monetary penalty for Fannie, Freddie in proposed settlement
- U.S. to sue big banks over risky mortgages
- Mortgages
- How Much House Can I Afford? Affordability analysis test
- U.S. housing prices show some gains
- Existing home sales fall 3.8% in May to lowest rate in six months
- S&P downgrades China’s property market rating
- Habitats | Clinton Hill, Brooklyn: Adopted by a Brownstone
- How Biweekly Mortgages Protect your Biggest Investement
- Food prices push China’s inflation to 34-month high in May
- Foreclosures Grow in Mortgage Market’s Top Tiers
- Hamilton Heights: Awaiting a Bounce
- The Mysteriously Shifty Interest Rate And Housing Industry
- Business Loans
- Price Chopper Supermarkets recall shredded taco cheese
- Novartis recalls four popular OTC drugs
- Best Buy cancels some online orders before Christmas
- Two major publishers announce bad news for newspaper industry
- Judge blocks Citigroup’s $285 million SEC settlement over mortgages
- Warren Buffett makes about face on investing in tech firms, acquires 5.5% stake in IBM
- U.S. Supreme Court upholds no limit on patient lawsuits against medical device makers
- Telenor refuses to pay $400M in fines to Bangladesh authority
- Post Office ads go after email
- Defendant seeks contempt order against Righthaven for non-payment of attorney’s fees
