Press Releases

Stealth BioTherapeutics (Stealth), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing drug candidates for the treatment of diseases involving mitochondrial dysfunction, today announced its EMBRACE results. EMBRACE is a Phase 2 multinational clinical study evaluating Bendavia in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The results were presented at the American College of Cardiology 64th Annual Scientific Session in San Diego, California, during the Late-Breaking Clinical Trials (LBCT) session, Main Tent, from 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM PT.

About three years ago, Betty Vaughn of Golden Valley, Minn., started to feel light-headed, fatigued and out of breath when she walked up and down the stairs. After visiting her doctor, the 89-year-old was diagnosed with degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR), a heart condition in which the leaflets of the mitral valve do not close completely, causing blood to flow backward and leak into the left atrium of the heart.  After her diagnosis, Paul Sorajja, M.D., cardiologist at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, performed a transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) procedure on Vaughn, who was not a good candidate for surgery, using Abbott's (NYSE: ABT) MitraClip in October 2014. Now, just months after the procedure, Vaughn has resumed many of the activities she loves, like working in the yard and playing cards with friends.

NeoStem, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel cell based personalized medicine therapies, announced today the presentation of updated efficacy and safety results from the one-year follow-up for its Phase 2 PreSERVE study and additional analyses of certain functional tests at ACC.15, the American College of Cardiology’s 64th Annual Scientific Session and Expo, in San Diego, California. The one-year follow-up results are defined as all data accumulated until the last patient enrolled completed 12 month follow-up.  Thus, the results actually represent data from patients with a median follow-up of 18 months.

Today at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Annual Scientific Sessions in San Diego, results from the keenly anticipated PROMISE clinical trial confirmed what many cardiologists and radiologists have long suspected to be true: coronary computed tomographic angiography (coronary CTA) is extraordinarily effective in accurately diagnosing patients with low to moderate chest pain.  In most cases, coronary CTA is at least as effective as diagnostic methods such as stress tests such as SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging. 

Advancing its interventional coronary portfolio with breakthrough engineering concepts in device design and technology, Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) unveiled the preclinical outcomes of its novel Drug-Filled Stent (DFS) at the 64th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The preclinical data showed controlled and efficacious drug elution into the arterial wall without a polymer carrier, while reducing diameter stenosis and achieving complete stent coverage quickly without inflammation. Based on these results, Medtronic plans to initiate a clinical trial in the coming months.

Advancing its interventional coronary portfolio with breakthrough engineering concepts in device design and technology, Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) unveiled the preclinical outcomes of its novel Drug-Filled Stent (DFS) at the 64th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The preclinical data showed controlled and efficacious drug elution into the arterial wall without a polymer carrier, while reducing diameter stenosis and achieving complete stent coverage quickly without inflammation. Based on these results, Medtronic plans to initiate a clinical trial in the coming months.

Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that 18-month (78-week) results of a Phase 3 trial of Praluent™ (alirocumab), an investigational therapy, involving 2,341 high risk patients with hypercholesterolemia were published online in The New England Journal of Medicine. In the ODYSSEY LONG TERM trial, Praluent 150 mg every two weeks reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C or “bad” cholesterol) by an additional 62 percent at week 24 when compared to placebo, the primary efficacy endpoint of the study, with consistent LDL-C lowering maintained over 78 weeks.

Agfa HealthCare announced today the commercial launch of a new version of HeartStation ECG Management System featuring improved workflow capabilities that facilitate access and sharing of ECGs across the hospital enterprise. The solution will be on display at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2015 Scientific Session & Expo, March 14-16, 2015 in San Diego, CA.

Medtronic plc today announced the start of its Resolute Onyx Clinical Program in the United States, which will evaluate the Resolute Onyx drug-eluting stent (DES) in patients who have coronary artery disease.  Included in the first phase of the study are patients with small vessels that would require a 2.0 mm stent, which until now, often were untreatable with a DES. Core sizes of the stent will be studied separately.

Agfa HealthCare announced today the commercial launch of its Enterprise Imaging for Cardiology Suite and strategic relationship with TomTec to provide a unified cardiology diagnostic and clinical imaging solution. The solution will be on display at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2015 Scientific Session & Expo, March 14-16, 2015 in San Diego.

Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will present Phase 3 data from the PraluentTM (alirocumab) clinical program at the American College of Cardiology’s 64th Annual Scientific Session & Expo (ACC.15), being held March 14-16 in San Diego. Data includes detailed results from two new Phase 3 trials evaluating monthly dosing of Praluent in patients with hypercholesterolemia, as well as pooled safety analyses of up to nine Praluent trials.

Ethicon today announced positive new data from the clinical development program for EVARREST Fibrin Sealant Patch. More than 92 percent of patients treated during aortic reconstruction surgery with Ethicon's EVARREST achieved hemostasis on the first attempt within three minutes and maintained hemostasis throughout the duration of the surgery, compared to 33 percent for those treated with Baxter's TachoSil patch and 46 percent for those treated with the standard of care, manual compression with or without an additional topical absorbable hemostat. The results of the Phase II study, as presented on Saturday at The Houston Aortic Symposium in Houston, TX, demonstrate the potential of EVARREST as an adjunctive hemostatic agent in this challenging setting.

Newly published research led by the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) and Tufts Medical Center in Boston shows that implantable defibrillators (ICDs), along with other modern treatments, have reduced mortality rates and are helping patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) live longer, including normal life expectancy. This research “changes our perceptions of HCM from a grim, unrelenting, and largely untreatable condition to a contemporary disease with effective treatment options and a low rate of death,” states Dr. Barry Maron, lead researcher and Director of the HCM Center at MHIF. Dr. Maron will present the results of the study at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference in San Diego, CA on March 14.

Cleveland Clinic announced today the appointment of Lars Svensson, M.D., Ph.D, as Chairman of its Heart & Vascular Institute.

AliveCor, Inc. announced today the launch of the latest version of the AliveECG app, with two new FDA-cleared and CE-marked automated detectors that allow patients and physicians to focus on the ECGs that matter most. The new mobile app instantly detects when an ECG is either Normal or unreadable.

The American College of Cardiology has launched version 2.0 of their Guideline Clinical App. With the addition of the healthy lifestyle and obesity guidelines, the app now contains the full set of clinical prevention guidelines released by ACC/American Heart Association in 2013. These additions expand the collection of clinical guidelines in the App which already includes guidelines on assessment of cardiovascular risk, treatment of blood cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, heart failure and valvular heart disease.

Scripps Health today celebrated the grand opening of the most advanced center dedicated to heart care anywhere on the West Coast. The $456 million Prebys Cardiovascular Institute on the campus of Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla is a hub for innovation bringing together leading researchers, physicians, staff and technologies in the largest heart program in the region.

Measuring peak radiation skin dose during interventional procedures became a reality with Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.’s introduction of Dose Tracking System (DTS), which helps make exams safer for patients. To expand clinical applications, Toshiba is introducing enhancements to DTS for the entire Infinix product line, including the Elite, Select and Essential cardiovascular X-ray systems.

Corindus Vascular Robotics, Inc., a leading developer of precision vascular robotics, announced today that it has initiated a clinical trial of its CorPath System in peripheral vascular interventions.

Poor doctor-patient communication, medication cost, and resistance from insurance companies to approve preferred medications and specialist visits were cited by women heart patients as leading reasons for non-adherence to their cholesterol medication, according to the first national survey of patients living with or at risk for heart disease about how they manage cholesterol, a leading risk factor for heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women and cholesterol is a modifiable risk factor, that when managed, can help reduce the risk of developing heart disease.

A clinical trial investigating the use of a physician-monitored app to help first-time minority stroke patients become healthier has begun at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).