The NHLBI has put an early stop to the large Cardiovascular Inflammation Reduction (CIRT) Trial. The NHLBI action was based on a recommendation from the trial’s Data and Safety Monitoring Board. The action was not based on any substantive safety concerns. “Sometime in late March or early April the NHLBI informed me that there were no substantive…
CANTOS Substudy Shows Major Role For Inflammation
November 13, 2017 by 1 Comment
–Large reductions in hsCRP appeared to foretell improved outcomes. ANAHEIM — An important CANTOS trial substudy bolsters evidence that inflammation plays an independent role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and may point toward a new targeted approach to treatment of CVD and perhaps even more profoundly impact cancer treatment. The report, presented by Paul Ridker (Brigham…
Imaging Studies Offer New Insights Into Inflammation In CV Disease
October 19, 2017 by 2 Comments
–Preliminary evidence that colchicine may reduce coronary plaque. Interest in inflammation has risen considerably in the cardiology community as a result of the recent CANTOS trial. The large 10,000 patient trial validated the role of inflammation by demonstrating the efficacy of canakinumab— a monoclonal antibody that targets interleukin-1β— in reducing cardiovascular events in people with…
CANTOS Validates Role Of Inflammation In Heart Disease
August 27, 2017 by 8 Comments
–Modest treatment effect of canakinumab may limit clinical role in heart disease, but strong anti-cancer signal sparks interest. Despite questions about its clinical importance, the CANTOS trial is being hailed by experts for finally validating the role of inflammation in heart disease. The cardiovascular benefits in the trial were real but modest. Even more exciting,…
News From Our ‘Statin Civilization’: High-Dose Statins Found To Reduce Gum Disease Inflammation
October 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
In addition to their well-known benefits in heart disease, high-dose statins appear to reduce gum inflammation caused by periodontal disease, a new report published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows. The findings offer more evidence that heart disease and gum disease may be linked, and also help support the view that statins achieve at least…
Colchicine Found Effective in Acute Pericarditis
September 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Although colchicine has been shown to be beneficial in patients with recurrent pericarditis, which is thought to have a large inflammatory component related to an immune response, until now its efficacy in a first episode of acute pericarditis has been uncertain, as these episodes are thought to usually have a viral component that might benefit from…
NHLBI Announces 7000 Patient Trial Testing Inflammation Hypothesis
August 22, 2012 by 2 Comments
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has announced the launch of a large clinical trial testing the inflammation hypothesis. Paul Ridker is the principal investigator of the trial, which will be known as the Cardiovascular Inflammation Reduction Trial (CIRT). CIRT will enroll 7,000 patients who are stable following a heart attack but are at high…
Studies Provide Strongest Evidence To Date For Causative Role of Inflammation in Heart Disease
March 15, 2012 by 4 Comments
Two large new meta-analyses published in the Lancet provide the first strong evidence demonstrating a cause-and-effect relationship between a specific inflammatory protein and the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). Both studies illuminate the role of interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) by focusing on the common Asp 358Ala variant of the IL6R gene. The variant is known to dampen the…
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