Cardiology Today’s top 5 articles posted in the last month

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

This month, Cardiology Today readers were most interested in patient access to PCSK9 inhibitors, CV benefits of diabetes drugs, late-breaking trials from the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, myocardial perfusion PET, the benefits of statins, and much more.

Experts, patients come together to address barriers to PCSK9 inhibitor access

BOCA RATON, Fla. — The FDA approved the first two PCSK9 inhibitors for use in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerotic CVD who require additional LDL lowering over 1 year ago, but cost and coverage remain barriers to access for patients and health care providers. A town hall forum held during the American Society for Preventive Cardiology’s Congress on Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Prevention brought together experts and patients to raise awareness and discuss barriers and potential solutions for the future. Read More

Beyond safety, new diabetes drugs offer CV benefit

The medical community has long recognized the strong relationship between CVD and diabetes. Compounding concerns over this association have been questions about the CV safety of diabetes treatments, in particular the effect of these medications on the risk for CV mortality, MI, stroke and HF hospitalization.

Cardiology Today assembled a distinguished panel of experts to discuss the topic of CV effects of diabetes medications and what these effects might mean for treating patients. A particular focus was on newer drugs. Read More

AHA announces late-breaking clinical trials for scientific sessions

The AHA announced the lineup of late-breaking clinical trials scheduled for presentation at its Annual Scientific Sessions, to be held Nov. 12 to Nov. 16 in New Orleans.

Review: Benefits of statins outweigh harms

Despite strong evidence of benefit from randomized controlled trials, statins may be underused because of “exaggerated claims about side-effect rates,” according to a review published in The Lancet.

“Our review shows that the number of people who avoid [MIs] and strokes by taking statin therapy are very much larger than the numbers who have side effects with it,” Rory Collins, FMedSci, FRCP, from the Clinical Trial Services Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit and the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford, said in a press release. Read More

Societies: CAD best diagnosed, managed with myocardial perfusion PET

Myocardial perfusion PET is the most useful imaging modality in the diagnosis and management of CAD, according to a position statement issued by two professional societies.

In the document, the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology and the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging stated that myocardial perfusion PET should be the first-line test for all patients who meet appropriate criteria for a stress-imaging test, cannot complete a diagnostic level of exercise and require pharmacologic stress. Read More