Time to rethink long-term use of common heart medications?

Is it time to reconsider long-term use of four large classes of cardiovascular drugs? In a review article recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the authors address this very question. The authors focus their review on the “big four” types of medications used (often in combination) to treat coronary heart disease: aspirin, beta-blockers, statins and … Read More

New financial analysis reveals significant savings realized from CYP2C19 testing

Twenty lives and $440,000 over a year. For every 1,000 patients. That’s what CYP2C19 pharmacogenetic testing could save if used to help prescribe clopidogrel (Plavix), prasugrel or ticagrelor to specific cardiac patients. A budget analysis found that a genotype-guided approach for acute coronary syndrome patients (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for one year saved 20 lives and $444,852 in … Read More

FDA strengthens heart attack, stroke risk warnings for NSAID pain medications

People regularly taking a common type of painkiller called an NSAID may be at greater risk for heart attack or stroke than previously thought. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has strengthened existing warnings of potentially deadly heart attack and stroke risk for a class of pain medications known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAID labeling already warns of … Read More

72 percent of heart drugs are impacted by genetics, study finds

The evidence for expanded use of pharmacogenetic data to help inform heart medication prescribing just got stronger. A comprehensive review of the scientific literature on pharmacogenomics and heart medications found that 71.8 percent of the 71 drugs studied had positive evidence for varied response or adverse effects based on genetics. The review encompassed 597 publications and identified 884 unique pairings … Read More