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The Star
26-06-2025
- Health
- The Star
Trainee cardiologists win international competition, a first for Malaysia
(From left) Dr Chen, Dr Yee and Dr Ang receiving a certificate from ACC president Prof Christopher Kramer (second right) and vice-president Prof Roxana Mehran in Singapore. THREE specialist trainee doctors from Ipoh's Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun have made Malaysia proud by winning an esteemed international cardiology competition held in Singapore. The team, which comprised Dr Chen Tai Meng, Dr Ang Jian-Gang and Dr Yee Shen Yew, won the competition organised by the American College of Cardiology (ACC). The event was held in conjunction with the ACC Asia 2025 together with the Singapore Cardiac Society Annual Scientific Meeting early last month. It was also the first time a Malaysian team won the competition since its inception in 2018. The team will now represent Malaysia to compete in the global ACC's Annual Scientific Session, which will be held in New Orleans in the United States next March. The International FIT (Fellows-In-Training) Jeopardy competition allows trainee doctors in cardiology to test their clinical knowledge on a range of topics. These could include prevention, imaging and intervention, selected from hundreds of questions submitted by ACC members. The Malaysian team defeated the Philippines team and the defending champions from Singapore during the competition. The Perak team was chosen to represent the country following a national competition held by the National Heart Association of Malaysia.
Associated Press
10-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
VoluMetrix Wins People's Choice Award at American College of Cardiology NIH-NHLBI Company Showcase
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS / ACCESS Newswire / April 10, 2025 / VoluMetrix, an innovative leader in non-invasive cardiovascular monitoring solutions, is proud to announce that it has been awarded the People's Choice Award at the ACC25-NHLBI Company Showcase, held during the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session in College of Cardiology ACC.25 Innovation Pitch Challenge People's Choice Winner The prestigious event, hosted on March 29 in the exhibit hall's Future Hub, featured presentations from four cutting-edge companies selected from a competitive pool of companies funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). VoluMetrix was chosen by the ACC Future Hub Task Force to participate in the showcase, which highlights breakthrough technologies with strong commercial potential in cardiovascular care. As part of the session, each company delivered a pitch followed by Q&A, presenting to an audience of leading cardiologists, key opinion leaders, industry strategics, and private capital investors. Dr. Bret Alvis, VoluMetrix's CMO, captivated the audience with the company's mission to revolutionize heart failure management through its novel, non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring platform. 'We are honored to be recognized by our peers and attendees at ACC25 with the People's Choice Award,' said Kyle Hocking, PhD, CEO of VoluMetrix. 'This recognition affirms the impact our technology can have on improving cardiovascular care and outcomes, and we're excited to continue driving innovation forward.' The People's Choice Award is a testament to VoluMetrix's ability to connect with clinical and industry stakeholders through its vision, value proposition, and potential to transform the future of cardiac monitoring.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
AstraZeneca's pill cuts cholesterol, offers convenient treatment
(NewsNation) — AstraZeneca's experimental pill has shown promise in reducing 'bad' cholesterol, raising expectations for more convenient alternatives in treatment options. AstraZenca is testing a once-daily PCSK9 inhibitor, currently known as AZD0780. After 12 weeks of use alongside standard statin therapy, the pill reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or what is known as 'bad' cholesterol, by 50.7%, according to data presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session in Chicago. Notably, 84% of patients who took the pill achieved the recommended cholesterol level, compared to just 13% of those on statins alone. MAHA: Are Americans paying attention to RFK Jr.'s push to ban food dyes? The pill was well-tolerated by patients in the clinical trial, with side effects comparable to those who took a placebo. High levels of LDL cholesterol are a key risk factor in strokes and heart attacks. AstraZeneca is competing with a similar drug from Merck, which targets the same PCSK9 protein. However, Merck's pill requires fasting for at least eight hours before use, Bloomberg reports, while AstraZeneca's doesn't. AstraZeneca believes its drug is better suited in 'combination' with other medications. AstraZeneca's pill could offer a more convenient and affordable alternative to PCSK9 injections like Amgen's Repatha and Regeneron's Praluent. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dr. Christopher Kramer is New American College of Cardiology President
Kramer begins a one-year term as head of the premiere global cardiovascular organization WASHINGTON, March 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Christopher M. Kramer, MD, FACC, today assumed the role of president of the American College of Cardiology, an almost 60,000-member global cardiovascular organization working to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health for all. "I see significant challenges and opportunities for the field of cardiology in the coming years, including workforce issues, health equity, diversity and inclusion, and AI-driven solutions, that need to be addressed to achieve ACC's mission of transforming cardiovascular care for all," Kramer said. "I am looking forward to using my term as president to help ACC be a leader on these issues, while getting to know more of our inspiring, diverse membership and hearing their concerns and achievements across the U.S. and throughout the world." Kramer, whose interest in cardiology began during a summer scholarship program in high school, received his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. He completed his residency and chief residency in internal medicine and fellowship in cardiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. His first faculty appointment was at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, then MCP/Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, where he directed the cardiology fellowship before moving in 1999 to the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he became chief of the Cardiovascular Division in 2019. Kramer's principal research interest has been the application of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging to the cardiovascular system in translational and clinical studies. In recognition of his work, he received the Gold Medal from the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance in 2015, reinforcing the impact of his contributions to the field of CMR over his career. His dedication to the College over a 35-year membership is reflected in his various leadership roles, including vice president, treasurer and chair of ACC's Imaging Council. Kramer was also an associate editor for imaging at JACC and executive editor of JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging. In 2021, Kramer was named a Distinguished Mentor by the ACC, which he has described as "an incredible honor." Kramer officially assumes the presidency during the Convocation Ceremony at ACC's Annual Scientific Session, taking place March 29 – 31, 2025 in Chicago. Other new officers for 2025-26 are Vice President Roxana Mehran, MD, FACC; Board of Trustees Members Samuel O. Jones, IV, MD, MPH, FACC; and Geoffrey A. Rose, MD, FACC; Board of Governors Chair David E. Winchester, MD, MS, FACC; and Board of Governors Chair-elect Renuka Jain, MD, FACC. The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is the global leader in transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all. As the preeminent source of professional medical education for the entire cardiovascular care team since 1949, ACC credentials cardiovascular professionals in over 140 countries who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. Through its world-renowned family of JACC Journals, NCDR registries, ACC Accreditation Services, global network of Member Sections, CardioSmart patient resources and more, the College is committed to ensuring a world where science, knowledge and innovation optimize patient care and outcomes. Learn more at View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE American College of Cardiology
Associated Press
30-03-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
CPC Announces Semaglutide Significantly Improves Walking Distance, Symptoms and Quality of Life for People with PAD and Diabetes
Study underscores the direct vascular effects of this class of drugs, researchers say AURORA, CO / ACCESS Newswire / March 29, 2025 / A novel study of a semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist used to treat type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, semaglutide was found to significantly improve maximal walking distance in people with symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD) and type 2 diabetes, meeting the study's primary endpoint. The STRIDE Trial, presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25), is the first to evaluate any GLP-1 agonist in PAD for this outcome. In addition to improvements in walking ability and function, people taking semaglutide also saw significant improvements in both symptoms and quality of life compared with those taking a placebo. People taking semaglutide also saw significant improvements in both symptoms and quality of life compared with those taking a placebo. Dr. Marc Bonaca, Executive Director of CPC presented the results and concluded, 'We have the first new treatment for PAD symptoms in 25 years.' PAD affects an estimated 12 million U.S. adults and over 200 million people worldwide. PAD happens when there is a build-up of fat and cholesterol, most commonly in the arteries of the legs. It's often associated with difficulty walking and poor circulation that can lead to non-healing wounds and a high rate of limb loss. People with PAD are at very high risk for serious complications, including acute limb ischemia - similar to a heart attack or stroke of the leg - that can lead to limb amputation or death if not treated quickly. 'Even at very early stages of PAD, people can't walk well, but they often don't know it's PAD. They may say, 'I've just slowed down,' 'I'm getting older,' or 'I have arthritis,' but they're actually severely functionally impaired and they often will self-limit what they are doing,' said Marc P. Bonaca, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and director of vascular research at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colorado, and the study's lead author, adding that the last drug approved by the FDA for improving functional outcomes in PAD was cilostazol in 2000, so there is a huge unmet need. 'The only drug we have available is contraindicated in people with heart failure, has no benefits beyond improvement in symptoms, and causes a lot of side effects and, so overall it's used in less than 10% of people and so we really have limited options to improve function in PAD,' he said. 'The [issue] is that as PAD progresses, patients go on to get revascularization procedures to open arteries, and become at high risk for adverse cardiovascular and limb events.' For this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial, called STRIDE, 792 people with type 2 diabetes and early-stage symptomatic PAD were enrolled at 112 medical centers in 20 countries. Patients (67 years old on average, about 25% women, 67% white) were randomized to receive semaglutide (1 mg) or placebo for one year (52 weeks). Researchers assessed maximal walking distance - the maximum distance that patients were able to walk on a treadmill at 2 miles per hour at a 12% grade (similar to walking up a moderate hill). Function was assessed at baseline (median maximal walk distance was 186 meters), week 26, week 52 (primary endpoint), and week 57 (5 weeks after stopping treatment). The Colorado Prevention Center (CPC), affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, supported the treadmill endpoint through its core lab services. 'Despite the fact that people were recruited on the basis of reporting early-stage PAD observed that they were actually severely impaired and could only walk about one-tenth of a mile with symptom onset significantly earlier,' Bonaca said. 'We saw that the drug clearly worked. There was a clear early benefit at six months that continued to increase at one year.' Overall, patients in the semaglutide arm had median and mean improvements in walking distance compared to placebo of 26 meters and 39.9 meters respectively, giving a statistically significant improvement in the ratio of change from baseline to week 52 of 1.13 (p=0.0004). 'To put that into context, we usually think an increase in walking distance of 10 to 20 meters is clinically important in PAD, so this exceeded those expectations,' he said. The results were further supported by confirmatory secondary endpoints showing significant improvements in quality of life (as measured by the Vascular Quality of Life Questionnaire-6 score), symptoms represented by pain-free walking distance, and sustained improvement in maximal walking distance 5 weeks after stopping therapy. Safety was shown to be similar to what was seen in earlier trials with semaglutide, with non-serious gastrointestinal side effects the most commonly reported side effects. Patients' ankle brachial index, a measure of blood flow in the legs, was also significantly improved among those taking semaglutide compared with placebo. A post-hoc analysis looking at time to rescue treatment (the need for revascularization due to worsening symptoms) or death was also lower with semaglutide. Within one-year of treatment, patients taking semaglutide had a 54% reduction in their risk of dying or needing a medication or procedure to open blocked arteries in their legs due to worsening symptoms compared with those receiving a placebo (14 vs 30 patients). 'Taken together, the data support semaglutide for people with PAD and type 2 diabetes mellitus as a therapy that has cardiometabolic, cardiovascular and kidney benefits and improves function, symptoms, and quality of life.,' said Bonaca, 'There is more work to be done to understand the mechanism of benefit as the population had a median BMI of 28.6 and the relationship between the outcome and weight loss was very weak. This coupled with the increase in ABI really suggests a direct vascular effect. This also raises the question of whether patients with PAD and without type 2 diabetes mellitus could benefit and that should be investigated in future studies.' The study was limited in that it was only in patients who also had diabetes. In addition, there were fewer U.S. patients because revascularization is so common and that patients who had these procedures were excluded. As a result, there was also less diversity and very few Black patients. This study was funded by Novo Nordisk. It was simultaneously published online in The Lancet at the time of presentation. Dr. Marc P. Bonaca can be reached by media at [email protected] or 303-860-9900. Dr. Marc Bonaca will present the study, 'The Effect Of Once-weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide On Functional Capacity In People With Type 2 Diabetes And Peripheral Artery Disease: Primary Results From The Phase 3b, Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double Blind Stride Trial,' on March 29, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. CT in Chicago at the American College of Cardiology Meeting. CPC Clinical Research, an ARO affiliated with the University of Colorado, is conducting the study in collaboration with Novo Nordisk. 2115 N. Scranton St., Suite 2040
