InterCure Ltd. has announced the U.S. release of its next generation hypertension treatment device, RESPeRATE Ultra. The RESPeRATE Ultra was designed with input from thousands of RESPeRATE users. Featuring a large, enhanced display, fewer buttons and simple menus, the unit was crafted to not only provide the same blood pressure reduction results as its predecessor, but also provide an enhanced, pleasurable device-guided breathing experience. The RESPeRATE Ultra also includes a first-of-its-kind interactive tutorial that guides the user to quickly learn to use the device to most effectively lower his or her blood pressure.

AngioDynamics Inc. has announced its plan to launch a new varicose vein therapy brand, VenaCure EVLT. The new brand will encompass the best of AngioDynamics’ VenaCure(R) product line as well as EVLT(R), a product line which AngioDynamics recently rescued from the bankruptcy of Diomed Inc. The product is an outpatient alternative to otherwise painful and invasive surgery for patients. VenaCure EVLT provides physicians continuous support from AngioDynamics to develop their clinical practices and provide patients with the best treatment available.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. has introduced its  Nicardipine Hydrochloride Injection, 2.5 mg/mL, in the United States of America. The injection is the first alternative to EKR Therapeutics’ treatment for high blood pressure, Cardene® I.V. According to IMS sales data, this product had annual sales of approximately $181 million in the United States from July 2007 to June 2008. As part of an agreement that Teva and Exela PharmSci, Inc. (a Reston, Virginia based company developing pharmaceuticals), entered into, Teva is licensed to manufacture and distribute the  Nicardipine HCl Injection.

The European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for the new powerful strength of Boehringer Ingelheim’s fixed dose combination antihypertensive drug, MicardisPlus® 80/25, in all 27 EU member states. The company plans to launch the drug in Germany and Denmark in the forthcoming weeks, followed soon by Ireland, the UK and the rest of the EU. The product is licensed for the treatment of essential hypertension in patients whose blood pressure is not adequately controlled on MicardisPlus® 80/12.5 (80 mg telmisartan/12.5 mg hydrochlorothiazide) or patients who have been previously stabilized on telmisartan and hydrochlorothiazide separately at the same dosages.

An article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine has indicated that statins, which are usually prescribed to lower blood cholesterol levels, might reduce blood pressure in patients. The study, led by Beatrice A Golomb and conducted on 973 participants, demonstrated that there was a noticeable decline in blood pressure in patients taking statins, a drug that inhibits an enzyme involved in the synthesis of cholesterol.