An American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) and American Heart Association (AHA) health policy statement outlines how drug alternatives should be dispensed and administered. The report, which refers to either generic drugs or drugs that are similar after therapeutic interchange, was developed after the proper technique to handle these specific interchanges gained recent attention.

The Institute of Medicine's (IOM) recent recommendation to eliminate the 510(k) clearance process for medical devices has prompted a sharp exchange between its leaders and medical device manufacturers.

A pharmacist-directed anticoagulation service improved the transition of care from an inpatient to outpatient setting for patients who received the anticoagulant warfarin, according to a study published in the July/August issue of Journal of Hospital Medicine. The authors suggested that their warfarin management intervention could not only be used by other hospitals to improve transition of care for patients on warfarin but also could be adapted to improve care for patients on other complicated medical regimens.

Elderly breast cancer patients with a history of cardiac disease or diabetes who are treated with trastuzumab (Herceptin, Hoffmann-LaRoche) were more likely to experience cardiac toxicity, according to a study in the Aug. 10 issue of Annals of Oncology. The authors noted that in most cases the patients recovered after trastuzumab was discontinued.

Researchers have developed a potentially useful list of predictors of atherosclerotic sudden cardiac death (SCD) to help clinicians distinguish patients who are likely to die of a heart attack from those who might survive one. Their ultimate goal is to create a risk stratification score applicable for the general population and provide interventions to prevent development of traits that contribute to SCD.

The addition of apixaban, at a dose of 5 mg twice-daily, to antiplatelet therapy in high-risk patients after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) increased the number of major bleeding events without a significant reduction in recurrent ischemic events, according to the APPRAISE-2 trial, published online July 24 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Statins, a drug class administered to patients as an attempt to foil cardiovascular events, was not linked to an increased risk of cancer, according to the results of a retrospective analysis of more than 45,000 patients. The study, published in the July 26 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, may provide answers to the ongoing debate as to whether or not statins are linked to cancer.

Administering torcetrapib to type 2 diabetes mellitus patients who are also treated with atorvastatin improves glycemic control, according to a study published July 18 in Circulation. The data regarding torcetrapib, a cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor (Pfizer), which can increase levels of HDL, was taken from the ILLUMINATE trial, which was halted five years ago due to cardiovascular problems among patients that could have been associated with drug administration.