August 3, 2009 – Circulatory assist pump maker Thoratec Corp. and small implantable blood pump maker HeartWare International Inc. terminated their merger agreement in response to U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s complaint in the U.S. Federal District Court challenging the proposed acquisition.

July 30, 2009 – A new study comparing nephrotoxicity of the iso-osmolar contrast medium iodixanol to low-osmolar contrast media (LOCM) found iodixanol shows no reduction in contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) compared to some agents, which may prompt the ACC and AHA to change their current guidelines.

July 29, 2009 – CircuLite Inc. said today it was awarded a Fast-Track Phase I-II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund the development of a pediatric circulatory assist device based upon CircuLite’s Synergy Pocket Micro-pump.

July 29, 2009 – The Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) and a coalition of eight other organizations have issued a white paper urging Congress to take steps to maintain adequate supplies of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), a radioactive substance that is the basis for a common medical isotope used in more than 80 percent of all nuclear medicine procedures.

July 28, 2009 – Sanofi-aventis said today MULTAQ (dronedarone) 400 mg tablets are now available in pharmacies in the United States.

July 28, 2009 – The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is taking a leading role in healthcare reform in partnership with patients, lawmakers and payers. The ACC said it is setting a new standard for healthcare delivery, one that centers on increasing the quality of care and ensuring greater patient access and value.