Following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), patients who receive clopidogrel, aspirin and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding that may be associated with clopidogrel, may have an increased risk of subsequent hospitalization for ACS or death, according to a study in the March 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Astellas US Holding, a wholly owned subsidiary of Astellas Pharma, has filed a lawsuit in the Delaware Chancery Court against CV Therapeutics and its directors related to a recent tender offer for CV's common stock.

Sanofi-Aventis Wednesday will acquire 94 percent of the capital in the generic pharmaceutical company Zentiva for approximately $2.3 billion, in a deal to be finalized next month. The company also reported that Tim Rothwell, chairman of sanofi-aventis U.S., will retire on March 31.

The Medicines Company has reported narrowed losses its 2008 fiscal full year, despite widened losses for the fourth quarter of 2008, which ended Dec. 31.

The board of directors for CV Therapeutics has reviewed and rejected the unsolicited, all-cash $1 billion proposal from Astellas Pharma for a second time.

The cardiovascular community has galvanized its resources in the last several years to improve morbidity and mortality associated with sudden cardiac arrest. Door-to-balloon times have been reduced and care during transport and in the hospital has become more standardized than in the past. But a large part of improved survival is due to the efforts of communities to educate its members about the value of CPR and automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

Significant confusion and concern for patient safety exists in the pre-hospital setting due to the understanding and implementation of living wills and DNR orders. This confusion can be corrected by implementing clearly defined code status into the living will, according to a study in the February edition of the Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Zoll Medical, through a wholly owned subsidiary, will purchase Alsius and all the assets constituting Alsius's intravascular temperature management device business, for approximately $12 million.