Sanofi-aventis announced that the Phase III TAMARIS trial evaluating the investigational angiogenic therapy NV1FGF (riferminogen pecaplasmid) did not meet its primary endpoint. The primary endpoint was to demonstrate the superiority of NV1FGF vs. placebo in the prevention of major amputation or death from any cause over 12 months, whichever came first, in critical limb ischemia patients who were not eligible for revascularization.

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Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. has announced the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has awarded a $1 million Cardiac Translational Research Implementation Program (C-TRIP) grant to support research on Glial Growth Factor 2 (GGF2), a novel investigational agent for the treatment of patients with heart failure under development at Acorda. The grant, supporting both clinical and laboratory studies, was awarded jointly to Acorda and Vanderbilt University Heart and Vascular Institute.

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A regional quality improvement effort aimed at increasing the use of preoperative beta-blocker (BB) usage to help prevent postoperative myocardial infarction (POMI) was revealed at the 64th Vascular Annual Meeting® presented by the Society for Vascular Surgery®. This quality improvement effort was implemented at 11 centers participating in participating in the Vascular Study Group of New England (VSGNE) from 2003 through 2008.

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iData Research has released a series of global reports that claim the U.S. market for vascular access devices and accessories was valued at just over $3 billion in 2009 and projects an estimated growth to $4.6 billion by the year 2016.

The report also states that due to new antimicrobial technology, the antimicrobial CVC market is exceeding that of the conventional market by almost double.

The report shows that the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act has helped to increase the sales of the more expensive safety devices, especially with the introduction of needleless connectors. Also, changes in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement has been a major factor driving growth in the overall vascular access market.

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