CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Vol 22, No 1, January/February 2011
AFRICA
55
Diary for 2011 cardiovascular congresses
DATE
PLACE
CONFERENCE
WEBSITE
9–11 February Los Angeles, CA, USA International Stroke Conference.
American Stroke Association
27 March
Cape Town, SA
Cardio-endocrine debate
2–5 April
New Orleans, USA 60th American College of
Cardiology conference (ACC)
14 May
Specialist meeting (with
Prof Deedwania) – Servier
21–24 May
Gothenburg, Sweden Heart Failure congress 2011
congresses/HF2011/
27–30 May
Kampala, Uganda
10th Pan-African Society of
Cardiology (PASCAR) congress
22 June
Frankfurt, Germany
Imaging in Cardiovascular
Interventions (ICI)
27–31 August
Paris, France
European Society of
Cardiology congress (ESC)
congresses/esc-2011/
29 September –
1 October
Asia Pacific Stroke
conference
Sri Lanka
23–26 October International Convention
Centre, East London
SA Heart congress
November
American Heart Association
(AHA)
Fenofibrate profiled as the fibrate with additional new data,
supporting its use with statins in the European Medicines Agency
recommendations
The European Medicines Agency’s
Committee for Medicinal Products for
Human Use (CHMP) has concluded that
the benefits of the four fibrates, bezafi-
brate, ciprofibrate, fenofibrate and gemfi-
brozil continue to outweigh their risks
in the treatment of patients with blood
lipid disorders. However, doctors should
not prescribe them to newly diagnosed
patients with blood lipid disorders as
first-line treatment, except for those with
severe hypertriglyceridaemia or patients
who cannot take statins.
Fibrates have been in use for many
years to lower the levels of lipids such as
triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood.
They were first subject to a Europe-
wide review in 2005, when the CHMP’s
Pharmacovigilance working party
reviewed their benefits and risks because
of limited evidence of their long-term
benefits in reducing cardiovascular risks.
At that time the working party concluded
that these medicines continued to have a
place in the treatment of lipid disorders but
should not be used as first-line treatment.
The current review by the CHMP was
initiated at the request of the UK, because
a number of marketing authorisation hold-
ers of the four fibrates had questioned
the conclusions of the Pharmacovigilance
working party. The UK therefore referred
the matter to the CHMP for adoption of a
Europe-wide recommendation on wheth-
er the existing marketing authorisations
should be maintained or changed. The
committee confirmed the conclusions
of the Pharmacovigilance working party
and recommended that fibrate-containing
medicines should not be used as first-line
treatment, except in patients with severe
hypertriglyceridaemia and in patients who
cannot use statins.
For fenofibrate, the committee noted
additional new data and recommended
that it can also be used together with
a statin in some circumstances when a
statin on its own has not been enough to
completely control blood lipid levels. It is
the only fibrate to have broader clinical
recommendation for its use. Fenofibrate
is indicated as an adjunct to diet and other
non-pharmacological treatment (e.g. exer-
cise, weight reduction) for the following:
•
treatment of severe hypertriglyceri-
daemia with or without low HDL
cholesterol
•
mixed hyperlipidaemia when a statin is
contraindicated or not tolerated
•
mixed hyperlipidaemia in patients
at high cardiovascular risk in addi-
tion to a statin when triglycerides and
HDL cholesterol are not adequately
controlled.
Source: EMA press release; 22 October 2010.
It's the
shell that
makes
safer.
R
Safety-Coated
R
81mg
The ORIGINAL low dose aspirin
for optimum cardio-protection
Hp
Each tablet contains Aspirin 81mg. Reg.No.: 29/2.7/0767
Pharmafrica (Pty) Ltd, 33 Hulbert Road, New Centre, Johannesburg 2001
Under licence from Goldshield Pharmaceuticals Ltd. U.K.
