News in brief - June 6, 2011

Low-risk patients don't benefit from CT angiograms, study says - FDA curtails access to Avandia

Low-risk patients don't benefit from CT angiograms, study says

Using computed tomographic angiography as a screening tool for low-risk, asymptomatic heart patients does not offer much benefit, according to a study of 2,000 patients in the May 23 Archives of Internal Medicine (archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/archinternmed.2011.204).

The testing did reveal plaque buildup in the heart vessels of 21% of patients, who were much likelier than patients who were not tested to be prescribed statins, receive cardiac catheterization or be sent for stress tests. However, after 18 months there was no difference between the two groups of patients on outcomes such as heart attacks and cardiac death.

"Our data are consistent with current guidelines by the American Heart Assn. that screening CT angiography should not play a role for low-risk patients who do not have symptoms," said Roger Blumenthal, MD, co-author of the study and director of the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease in Baltimore.

FDA curtails access to Avandia

The diabetes drug Avandia will not be available in retail pharmacies after Nov. 18, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Physicians have to enroll patients who need the medication in the Avandia-Rosiglitazone Medicines Access Program, the FDA said (www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm255005.htm).

The medicine will then be mailed to the patient from select, certified pharmacies. Physicians who want to prescribe Avandia must enroll in the program, which aims to raise awareness about the increased risk of myocardial infarction associated with the drug.

In 2007, the FDA put a black box warning on Avandia when research showed that GlaxoSmithKline's type 2 diabetes drug increases the risk of a heart attack, a leading cause of death among diabetics.