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ANTIPAF trial: sartans do not reduce the number of AF episodes in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and without structural heart disease

Atrial fibrillation ( AF ) is a progressive chronic disease in which episodes become more frequent and long-lasting over time. Conventional anti-arrhythmic therapy aims at halting progression and reducing symptoms, but the use of most anti-arrhythmic drugs is compromised by severe side effects, such...
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AVERROES trial: Apixaban reduces risk of stroke and systemic embolism in atrial fibrillation

The phase 3 AVERROES ( Apixaban Versus Acetylsalicylic acid to Prevent Strokes ) trial, designed to show the superiority of Apixaban over Acetylsalicylic acid ( Aspirin ) for the prevention of stroke or systemic embolism in high-risk atrial fibrillation patients unsuitable for treatment with a vitam...
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Advances in renal cell carcinoma management

Renal cell carcinoma ( RCC ) accounts for about 3% of all solid tumours in adults, and worldwide, more than 200.000 new cases and 100.000 deaths result each year from this malignancy. In contrast to most other malignant tumours in the urogenital system, there was a period of stagnation in the de...
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Dutasteride reduces risk of prostate carcinoma diagnosis in high-risk men

Dutasteride ( Avodart ) has shown to reduce the risk of a prostate cancer diagnosis by 23 percent in men with an increased risk of the disease. The results are reported in the New England Journal of Medicine ( NEJM ). The four-year study found that Dutasteride significantly reduced the chances t...
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Olmesartan increases risk of death

The FDA ( Food and Drug Administration ) has not concluded that Olmesartan ( Benicar ) increases the risk of death. In the ROADMAP and ORIENT trials, there were a greater number of cardiovascular-related deaths in the Olmesartan group compared to the placebo group. Other controlled clinical trials ...
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Olmesartan linked to cardiovascular events

The FDA ( Food and Drug Administration ) is evaluating data from two clinical trials in which patients with type 2 diabetes taking the blood pressure medication, Benicar ( Olmesartan ) had a higher rate of death from a cardiovascular cause compared to patients taking a placebo. FDA's review is on...
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Postmenopausal breast cancer: role of bisphosphonates

Bisphosphonates are routinely given to women with postmenopausal breast cancer, but new data suggests that these agents may play a role in reducing recurrent breast cancer as well. The effect of Zoledronic acid on aromatase inhibitor-associated bone loss in postmenopausal women with early breast...
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Advanced non-small cell lung cancer: Vandetanib has shown clinical benefit when combined with Docetaxel

When combined with standard chemotherapy, Vandetanib ( Zactima ) improves progression-free survival for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The findings, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Annual Meeting, mark the first clinical benefit of a small molecule tar...
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Sorafenib improves progression free survival in patients with breast cancer

In the advanced breast cancer, one study has found that if Sorafenib ( Nexavar ) is combined with the chemotherapy drug, Capecitabine ( Xeloda ), it makes a significant difference to the time women live without their disease worsening. Results showed that patients who received Sorafenib plus Capec...
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HEAAL Study: higher dose of Losartan significantly reduced deaths and hospitalizations due to heart failure

In an investigational study, Losartan ( Cozaar ) 150 mg, administered once daily, significantly reduced the risk of all-cause death or hospitalization due to heart failure compared to a lower 50 mg once daily dose of Losartan. The study, called HEAAL ( Heart failure Endpoint evaluation of the A-II...
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