For type 2 diabetes patients whose glucose levels cannot be controlled with metformin, treatment from an injection of liraglutide (Victoza, Novo Nordisk), rather than sitagliptin (Januvia, Merck), provides better glucose control, according to a trial published in the April 22 issue of the Lancet.

Jrg Reinhardt, MD, has been appointed as CEO and chairman of the board of management of Bayer HealthCare, effective Aug. 15.

By 2014, the pharmaceutical market is expected to reach $1.1 trillion, increasing by $300 billion over the next five years. And, according to a report published April 20 by IMS Health, the U.S. pharma market is expected to peak in 2011 and 2012 when almost two-thirds of the total value of patents are set to expire, including Bristol Myers Squibb's blockbuster Plavix (clopidogrel).

Debt across the pharmaceutical industry skyrocketed to $270 billion in 2009--a 177 percent increase from 2006--and according to Moodys Investor Service, the pharmaceutical industry could experience problems acquiring profit and cash flow due to looming patent expiries.

A process called rapid prototyping allows interventionalists to produce 3D models of patients hearts to better facilitate pre-procedural planning for catheter-based structural heart interventions.

Currently, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with compression is not recommended to be performed by bystanders on children. However, researchers have found for children who have out-of-hospital cardiac arrest from non-cardiac causes, CPR (with rescue breathing) by a bystander is the preferable approach to resuscitation, and for pediatric arrests from cardiac causes, either conventional or compression-only CPR is similarly effective, based on a study in the April 17 issue of the Lancet.

Baxter has selected Ludwig Hantson, PhD, to serve as its new president and corporate vice president.

The decision for a cardiology practice to integrate with a hospital is an arduous task often laced with burdensome financial and business decisions to consider. However, the choice to integrate can result in an alignment of goals between the practice and the hospital, increased physician compensation and greater physician and patient satisfaction, based on results of a survey of cardiologists and cardiology professionals by MedAxiom, a subscription-based resource provider for cardiology practices.