March 9, 2012 - Researchers say venom from the green mamba snake may aid in the preservation of cardiac and renal function following serious cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and acute decompensated heart failure. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a $2.5 million grant to Mayo Clinic's Cardiorenal Research Laboratory to conduct the research project “Cardiovascular Peptides and Myocardial Infarction.”

March 9, 2012 — Avinger Inc. announced the enrollment of the first U.S. patient in the CONNECT II global clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of Ocelot. The device is the first chronic total occlusion (CTO) crossing catheter using forward-looking optical coherence tomography (OCT) top treat patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD).

March 8, 2012 — Transgenomic Inc. announced the publication of a new study by researchers at Vanderbilt University that further validates the role of both genes found in the company’s PGxPredict: Clopidogrel (Plavix) Panel, a comprehensive test to predict a patient’s response to clopidogrel (Plavix).

March 8, 2012 — Edwards Lifesciences Corp. reported March 3 it filed its official response to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on its proposed national coverage determination (NCD) for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

March 7, 2012 — The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted biopharmaceutical development company BioLineRx for ...

March 7, 2012 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notified healthcare professionals of updates to the prescribing information concerning interactions between protease inhibitors and certain statin drugs. Protease inhibitors and statins taken together may raise the blood levels of statins and increase the risk for muscle injury, or myopathy.

March 7, 2012 — Four leading heart organizations representing cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons released initial recommendations for creating and maintaining transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) programs. The recommendations are aimed at ensuring optimal care for patients with aortic stenosis, a form of valvular heart disease, as use of the new TAVR procedure grows.