Bayer HealthCare today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Orphan Products Development has granted two separate orphan drug designations for its investigational, oral medication riociguat, proposed trade name Adempas®, for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The Orphan Drug Designation program provides orphan status to drugs and biologics that are defined as those intended for the safe and effective treatment, diagnosis or prevention of rare diseases and disorders that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S., or that affect more than 200,000 persons but are not expected to recover the costs of developing and marketing a treatment drug.

Amarin Corporation plc (Nasdaq:AMRN), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the commercialization and development of therapeutics to improve cardiovascular health, announced today that the number of patients enrolled in the company's REDUCE-IT cardiovascular outcomes study of Vascepa(R) (icosapent ethyl) capsules has surpassed 6,000.

Harvesting the radial artery for CABG may be more painful for patients in the early post-operative period than harvesting the saphenous vein, researchers found in a study published online Sept. 25 in JAMA Surgery. But the pain resolved within 12 months of surgery.

Certain congenital heart defects may raise children’s risk of developing infective endocarditis (IE), Canadian researchers found in a study published Sept. 24 in Circulation. Children with cyanotic congenital heart disease lesions, left-sided lesions and endocardial cushion defects were at highest risk for IE.

Patients with atrial fibrillation treated with ablation had a lower risk of stroke than those left untreated across all age and risk profiles in a study published in the September issue of Heart Rhythm.

The FDA broadened the pool of patients with inoperable aortic valve stenosis by approving revised labeling for the Sapien Transcatheter Heart Valve. The agency based its decision in part on data from the Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry.

The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame is proud to announce the 2014 inductees. Their passion and innovative, visionary leadership has improved health worldwide. The six inductees announced today will join the ranks of 101 laureates who have gone before them in receiving this prestigious national honour.

Inappropriate PCI is more likely to occur in men, white patients and privately insured patients, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The higher rates among these patients could be partly due to overuse.