As we approach the summer season of doomsday movies in all their cinematic gore-y, it may be no surprise that nuclear catastrophe enters into a few imaginations. But at the FDA, it is science and not science fiction that is under discussion as the agency reviews an animal study on Amgen’s leukocyte growth factors as a nuclear countermeasure. The FDA will discuss whether a human study is warranted on May 3. The Bloomberg article includes a link to the FDA backgrounder.

The Heart Failure Congress 2013 promises more science than ever this year, with a record number of abstracts submitted. The congress takes place 25-28 May at the Centro de Congressos de Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal.

Vascular Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq:VASC) today announced that it has re-launched the Venture catheter, a deflectable-tip catheter used to provide guidewire directional control in challenging coronary and peripheral interventional procedures. The device is available immediately in the United States and expected to become available in select international markets over the next few months.

CVRx, Inc., a private medical device company, received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational device exemption (IDE) approval, allowing the company to proceed with its hypertension study.

Anne M. Gillis, MD, president of the Heart Rhythm Society and a professor at the University of Calgary, will co-chair a joint session on clinical registries on May 9 at Heart Rhythm 2013 in Denver. In a Q&A with Cardiovascular Business, she discussed the evolution of joint sessions and other program details.

Up to 10 per cent of patients with high blood pressure are resistant to treatment, which puts them at increased risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks. Clinical trials show that catheter-based renal denervation reduces blood pressure in patients who do not respond to conventional drug therapy.

Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) will offer new sessions as well as topics that were well received at previous meetings for its 2013 scientific sessions scheduled May 8-11 in Denver.

Global electrophysiology devices market forecasts to reach at US$4.4 billion by 2015 at a CAGR of 9.7% during the analysis period 2009-2015. The North American segment accounts for nearly 35% of the global value while Europe claims approximately 30% of the market. Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing region with a CAGR of 10.8% driving a market value of US$1.1 billion by 2015.