Sanofi and MyoKardia, Inc., a privately-held company leading the development of precision therapies for genetic heart disease, announced today a worldwide collaboration to discover and develop first-of-its-kind targeted therapeutics for heritable heart diseases known as cardiomyopathies, the most common forms of heart muscle disease. The collaboration builds upon MyoKardia’s pioneering science, which hopes to correct the disruptive effects that disease mutations have on heart muscle function.

Abbott announced today the start of the ABSORB IV clinical trial, which will test whether its Absorb Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS) is more cost-effective and offers a higher quality of life than a best-in-class, permanent, metallic drug eluting stent. Absorb is the world's first drug eluting BVS and functions like a metallic stent by opening up blocked blood vessels in the heart and restoring blood flow. However, unlike a metallic stent, Absorb completely dissolves over time after doing its job. ABSORB IV is designed to enroll approximately 3,000 people with coronary artery disease, mostly in the United States.

Amgen today announced data from the Phase 3 SHIFT (Systolic Heart failure treatment with the If inhibitor ivabradine Trial) study evaluating ivabradine in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) were presented at the 18th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) in Las Vegas.

InspireMD, Inc., a leader in embolic protection systems (“EPS”), today announced positive results from the CARENET (CARotid Embolic protection study using microNET) Trial for its CGuardTM EPS. This trial demonstrates that the MicroNetTM covered CGuardmay offer important clinical benefits for patients undergoing carotid artery stenting (CAS).

Unfractionated heparin-vitamin K antagonist combination was found to be the least effective of venous thromboembolism treatments in a meta-analysis published online Sept. 17 in JAMA while some novel oral anticoagulants carried lower bleeding risks.

Cardiac Dimensions, Inc. today announced that new long-term outcomes data from the TITAN II clinical trial of its enhanced CARILLON Mitral Contour System showed significant and sustained improvements in mitral regurgitation, functional improvement, quality of life and reverse cardiac remodeling. The long-term safety and efficacy data, which was consistent with previous trials of the system, was presented Sept. 13 at the 26th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Conference (TCT) in Washington, DC by TITAN II investigator Professor Dr. Michael Haude of Lukaskrankenhaus in Neuss, Germany.

Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that its experimental heart failure compound has been shown to be effective in animal models following oral (capsule) dosing. The preclinical results demonstrate an alternative to intravenous infusions that could pave the way for convenient outpatient therapy with HNO prodrugs. The data were presented yesterday at the Heart Failure Society of America’s (HFSA) 18th Annual Scientific Meeting in Las Vegas.

If you want your cath lab to run efficiently and safely, you need a director with clear vision and the ability to take charge, even—make that especially— in times of strife, a physician leader said Sept. 13 at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics scientific session.