Nov 21 (Reuters) – Gilead Sciences Inc struck a
deal to buy biotechnology company Pharmasset Inc for
about $11 billion in a huge and risky bet on the next
generation of hepatitis C treatments.

Gilead, the world’s largest maker of HIV drugs, will pay
$137 per share for each Pharmasset share, an 89 percent premium
for a company with no significant marketed products.

Nov 21 (Reuters) – Gilead Sciences Inc struck a
deal to buy biotechnology company Pharmasset Inc for
about $11 billion in a huge bet on the next generation of
hepatitis C treatments.

Gilead, the world’s largest maker of HIV drugs, will pay
$137 per share for each Pharmasset share, an 89 percent premium
for a company with no significant marketed products.

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – High doses of the blood thinner Plavix can help heart patients overcome a common genetic variation that interferes with the widely used drug’s anti-clotting effects, according to clinical data presented on Wednesday.

When doses were tripled or quadrupled, only 10 percent of patients with the gene variation did not respond, compared with half who failed to respond when given the common standard 75 milligram dose, according to a study released at the American Heart Association meeting in Orlando.

ORLANDO, Fla, Nov 16 (Reuters) – High doses of the blood
thinner Plavix can help heart patients overcome a common
genetic variation that interferes with the widely used drug’s
anti-clotting effects, according to clinical data presented on
Wednesday.

When doses were tripled or quadrupled, only 10 percent of
patients with the gene variation did not respond, compared with
half who failed to respond when given the common standard 75
milligram dose, according to a study released at the American
Heart Association meeting in Orlando.

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – A high-profile U.S. study that raised doubts about the heart-protective effects of niacin came under severe criticism on Tuesday at a major medical meeting.

The study, whose initial results were released in May and were presented at the American Heart Association meeting on Tuesday, found that adding Abbott Laboratories Inc’s Niaspan, a long-acting version of niacin, to statin cholesterol-lowering drugs did not further prevent heart attacks and stroke.

, Nov 15 (Reuters) – Pfizer Inc’s
Lipitor and AstraZeneca’s Crestor cholesterol drugs,
taken at their highest dose, safely reduced artery-clogging
plaque in heart patients, according to data from a clinical
trial presented on Tuesday.

Crestor outperformed Lipitor by some measures in the
two-year study, but it is unclear whether the results will help
AstraZeneca’s sales force convince doctors and payers to use
its drug as it competes with much cheaper generic versions of
top-selling Lipitor.

, Nov 15 (Reuters) – An experimental heart
drug from Eli Lilly and Co dramatically boosted levels
of “good” cholesterol and appeared to be safe, according to
data from a clinical trial, providing new hope for a class of
medicines with a troubled past.

The drug, evacetrapib, increased HDL cholesterol by 53.6
percent at the lowest dose and by a whopping 128.8 percent at
the higher dose in the mid-stage study, according to the data,
presented at the American Heart Association meeting in Orlando
on Tuesday.

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – Cardiologists are not ready to jump to any conclusions about a closely-watched group of new blood thinners and said serious questions about their safety still need to be addressed.

Three new medicines that offer potential advantages over older drugs to prevent strokes and other dangerous conditions caused by blood clots will compete in a market worth up to $10 billion in annual sales, according to Wall Street forecasts.

ORLANDO, Fla (Reuters) – A stem cell therapy for treating patients experiencing moderate to severe heart failure showed real promise in preventing serious consequences or death, according to data from a small mid-stage clinical trial.

The treatment from Australia’s Mesoblast Ltd, known as revascor, appeared to be safe and reduced by 78 percent the rate of major adverse events — heart attacks, cardiac death and need for artery clearing procedures — after one year compared with patients who received the standard of care.

, Nov 13 (Reuters) – Data showing the life-
saving benefits of a very low dose of a new blood clot
preventer could alter future treatment of patients who suffer
from acute coronary syndrome and provide a boost for the drug’s
makers Bayer AG and Johnson & Johnson .

Results of a large, late-stage clinical trial presented on
Sunday showed the new pill, Xarelto, reduced the risk of death
by more than 30 percent in patients who have had an ACS
episode, typically a heart attack caused by a blocked coronary
artery. Xarelto was added on top of blood thinners that are now
the standard of care.