Top 5 online stories posted in the last month

Cardiology Today compiled a list of the top 5 stories posted to Healio.com/Cardiology in July.

This month, Cardiology Today readers were most interested in CMS payments, generic rosuvastatin, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the INTERSTROKE case-control study, a new American Heart Association statement on HF, and much more.

CMS proposes new bundled payment models for high-quality cardiac, hip fracture care

CMS has proposed new bundled payment models for high-quality cardiac and hip fracture care as part of continuing efforts to reward quality care at a lower cost.

The agency has also proposed an incentive payment program to encourage more use of cardiac rehabilitation. Read More

FDA denies AstraZeneca request to block approvals of generic rosuvastatin

The FDA has denied AstraZeneca’s citizen petition for a temporary restraining order to prevent approval of any abbreviated new drug applications for generic versions of rosuvastatin.

The company, which markets rosuvastatin under the brand name Crestor, requested a stay of approval for abbreviated new drug applications for generics until the expiration of its pediatric orphan drug exclusivity for treatment of pediatric homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), citing potential safety concerns on the grounds that “there are substantial risks that doctors would over- or undertreat pediatric [homozygous FH] patients if generic or other rosuvastatin calcium omitted AstraZeneca’s protected pediatric [homozygous FH] labeling” and that dosage and treatment courses often differ between adult and pediatric patients. Read More

Phase 2 trial of drug to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to be launched

MyoKardia announced it successfully completed phase 1 trials and will launch a phase 2 trial of its novel drug to treat hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The drug (MYK-461) has been granted an orphan drug designation by the FDA. Read More

INTERSTROKE: Modifiable risk factors may explain nine of 10 acute strokes

Ten modifiable risk factors, most importantly hypertension, account for approximately 90% of acute strokes worldwide, according to the INTERSTROKE case-control study published in The Lancet.

“This study is of an adequate size and scope to explore stroke risk factors in all major regions of the world, within key populations and within stroke subtypes,” Martin J. O’Donnell, MB, PhD, from Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and HRB-Clinical Research Facility, NUI Galway, Ireland, said in a press release. “The wider reach confirms the 10 modifiable risk factors associated with 90% of stroke cases in all regions, young and older, and in men and women. The study confirms that hypertension is the most important modifiable risk factor in all regions, and the key target in reducing the burden of stroke globally.” Read More

AHA releases statement on drugs that can cause or worsen HF

Commonly used medications and nutritional supplements may cause or worsen HF, according to an American Heart Association scientific statement published in Circulation.

Robert L. Page II, PharmD, MSPH, chair of the writing committee and professor in the department of clinical pharmacy and the department of physical medicine/rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine at the University of Colorado Hospital, said in a press release that people with HF are often taking seven or more prescription medications for multiple conditions. Read More