Daiichi Sankyo's ACAT inhibitor pactimibehad noeffect on atherosclerosis in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia but did result in anincreased incidence of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke, according to CAPTIVATE trial results published in the March 18 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.

The FDA and Welch Allyn have notified healthcare professionals and consumers of a nationwide Class I recall of 14,054 automatic external defibrillator (AED) 10 and MRL JumpStart AEDs manufactured between Oct. 3, 2002 and Jan. 25, 2007.

In the first public-private partnership for the 60-year Framingham Heart Study, BG Medicine will join with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institutes of Health and Boston University to develop a blood test that could predict heart disease in patients with no obvious symptoms.

Gilead Sciences will acquire CV Therapeutics for approximately $1.4 billion in cash through a tender offer second-step merger, after repeated attempts from Astellas Pharma to take over CV Therapeutics for $1 billion.

There is a strong link between diabetics who have atrial fibrillation (AF) and an increased risk of other heart-related problems and death, according to the ADVANCE trial in the March 12 issue of the European Heart Journal.

No single device or strategy carries the day; rather it is the culmination of many innovative protocols and technologies that have galvanized the field of resuscitative care.

Are all statins created equal? Can we afford to give statins to millions more people? Are there risks for people with different types of heart disease? Do we know the very long-term risks of statin therapy? These and many other questions must be considered before large-scale cholesterol-lowering programs are adopted.

Richard T. Clark, CEO and president of Merck, has estimated that its recent $41.1 billion merger with Schering Plough will result in the elimination of 15 percent of the work force, or about 16,000 positions, in both companies.