OBJECTIVEType 2 diabetes pathophysiology is characterized by dysregulated glucagon secretion. LY2409021, a potent, selective small-molecule glucagon receptor antagonist that lowers glucose was evaluated for efficacy and safety in patients with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSThe efficacy (HbA 1c and glucose) and safety (serum aminotransferase) of oncedaily oral administration of LY2409021 was assessed in two double-blind studies. Phase 2a study patients were randomized to 10, 30, or 60 mg of LY2409021 or placebo for 12 weeks. Phase 2b study patients were randomized to 2.5, 10, or 20 mg LY2409021 or placebo for 24 weeks. RESULTSLY2409021 produced reductions in HbA 1c that were significantly different from placebo over both 12 and 24 weeks. After 12 weeks, least squares (LS) mean change from baseline in HbA 1c was -0.83% (10 mg), -0.65% (30 mg), and -0.66% (60 mg) (all P < 0.05) vs. placebo, 0.11%. After 24 weeks, LS mean change from baseline in HbA 1c was -0.45% (2.5 mg), -0.78% (10 mg, P < 0.05), -0.92% (20 mg, P < 0.05), and -0.15% with placebo. Increases in serum aminotransferase, fasting glucagon, and total fasting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) were observed; levels returned to baseline after drug washout. Fasting glucose was also lowered with LY2409021 at doses associated with only modest increases in aminotransferases (mean increase in alanine aminotransferase [ALT] £10 units/L). The incidence of hypoglycemia in the LY2409021 groups was not statistically different from placebo. CONCLUSIONSIn patients with type 2 diabetes, glucagon receptor antagonist treatment significantly lowered HbA 1c and glucose levels with good overall tolerability and a low risk for hypoglycemia. Modest, reversible increases in serum aminotransferases were observed.

Among U.S. patients in the ACUITY trial, bivalirudin monotherapy compared with heparin + GPI resulted in similar protection from ischemic events, reduced bleeding, and shorter length of stay. Despite higher drug costs, aggregate hospital and 30-day costs were lowest with bivalirudin monotherapy. Thus bivalirudin monotherapy seems to be an economically attractive alternative to heparin + GPI for patients with moderate- and high-risk NSTE-ACS. (Comparison of Angiomax Versus Heparin in Acute Coronary Syndromes [ACS]; NCT00093158).

In the TAXUS-IV trial, treatment with PES led to substantial reductions in the need for repeat revascularization while increasing 1-year costs only modestly. The cost-effectiveness ratio for PES in the study population compares reasonably with that for other treatments that reduce coronary restenosis, including alternative drug-eluting stent platforms.

Background-Observed rates of restenosis after drug-eluting stenting are low (Ͻ10%). Identification of a reliable and powerful angiographic end point will be useful in future trials. Methods and Results-Late loss (postprocedural minimum lumen diameter minus 8-month minimum lumen diameter) was measured in the angiographic cohorts of the SIRIUS (nϭ703) and E-SIRIUS (nϭ308) trials. Two techniques, the standard normal approximation and an optimized power transformation, were used to predict binary angiographic restenosis rates and compare them with observed restenosis rates. The mean in-stent late loss observed in the SIRIUS trial was 0.17Ϯ0.45 mm (sirolimus) versus 1.00Ϯ0.70 mm (control). If a normal distribution was assumed, late loss accurately estimated in-stent binary angiographic restenosis for the control arm (predicted 35.4% versus observed 35.4%) but underestimated it in the sirolimus arm (predicted 0.6% versus observed 3.2%). Power transformation improved the reliability of the estimate in the sirolimus arm (predicted 3.2% [CI 1.0% to 6.7%]) with similar improvements in the E-SIRIUS trial (predicted 4.0% [CI 1.2% to 7.0%] versus observed 3.9%). In the sirolimus-eluting stent arm, in-stent late loss correlated better with target-lesion revascularization than in-segment late loss (c-statisticϭ0.915 versus 0.665). Conclusions-Because distributions of late loss with a low mean are right-skewed, the use of a transformation improves the accuracy of predicting low binary restenosis rates. Late loss is monotonically correlated with the probability of restenosis and yields a more efficient estimate of the restenosis process in the era of lower binary restenosis rates.

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Among patients with established CV disease, adding clopidogrel to aspirin appears to increase life expectancy modestly at a cost generally considered acceptable within the US health-care system.

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