The string of bad news for HDL-related therapies continues. Resverlogix yesterday announced that the ASSURE clinical trial had failed to meet its primary endpoint. RVX-208, the drug being studied in the trial, is a novel small molecule that increases production of ApoA-1, which raises HDL levels and is thought to enhance reverse cholesterol transport. … Click here…
More Bad News For HDL Therapies: ASSURE Trial Misses Primary Endpoint
June 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment
WSJ Article Fails To Raise Key Questions About Cardiovascular Risk In Children
April 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment
There’s probably no greater public health issue than the long-term consequences of the childhood obesity epidemic. So the Wall Street Journal should be commended for digging into some of the important science behind this problem in a feature article in today’s paper. The author, Ron Winslow, is widely regarded as the best working journalist who…
HPS2-THRIVE: A ‘Disappointing But Clear’ Result
March 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The results of HPS2-THRIVE were “disappointing but clear,” said Jane Armitage, who presented the results this morning at the ACC in San Francisco. HPS2-THRIVE randomized 25,673 high-risk patients who could tolerate niacin to either placebo or extended-release niacin plus laropiprant (Tredaptive, Merck), an anti-flushing agent, in addition to background therapy. The primary endpoint was the time to…
HPS2-THRIVE Coming Attraction: First Look At What Went Wrong With Niacin
February 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment
In a few weeks, on March 9, the main results of the HPS2-THRIVE (Heart Protection Study 2-Treatment of HDL to Reduce the Incidence of Vascular Events) study will be presented in San Francisco at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology. These results have been eagerly awaited since Merck’s brief announcement in December that the trial had not met its primary endpoint…
The Big Gamble of CETP Inhibitors
January 25, 2013 by 2 Comments
Merck has invested a substantial amount of money on the CETP inhibitor anacetrapib. Chemist and veteran pharma blogger Derek Lowe suspects that the company might as well have plunked the money down in a casino. In a provocative new post, Lowe wonders if big pharma, in its desperation, has abandoned rational research in favor of, essentially,…
Merck Starts To Suspend Worldwide Availability Of Tredaptive
January 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
In the wake of the negative HPS2-THRIVE study announced last month, Merck said today that it was beginning to suspend the worldwide availability of Tredaptive, its combination of extended-release niacin and laropiprant. Click here to read the full story on Forbes….
Should Niacin Still Be Prescribed? William Boden Versus Harlan Krumholz
January 9, 2013 by 1 Comment
In the wake of HPS2-THRIVE many have argued that there is no longer any reason to prescribe niacin. William Boden, the lead investigator of AIM-HIGH and COURAGE, thinks there were enough flaws in the design of the niacin trials to justify the cautious use of niacin in certain circumstances. Says Boden: “There is evidence of…
Recent Comments