The best of clinical pharmacology in 2000

The year 2000 provided many new articles in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics in the different fields of cardiology. The authors present some of them in this review. In the field of prevention, the statins were the object of complementary studies showing their Value in high cardiovascular risk patients with benefits not only in the reduction of coronary but also cerebrovascular events. These benefits are maintained at long-term. The debate about the value of Vitamin E is still on-going with divergent results (HOPE, SPACE studies...). The absence of secondary coronary prevention by post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy seems to be confirmed. The arrhythmogenic risk of neuroleptic drugs is of increasing concern. New data also suggests the possibility of a venous thromboembolic risk The NSAIDs are an important factor in the first episode of cardiac failure. The risk of thromboembolism with the 3rd generation of contraceptives has been confirmed. Some data has been published about the safety of drugs used in cardiology : the haemorrhagic risk of LMW heparin in renal failure and of aspirin, even at low doses, drug interactions, aspirin-ACE inhibitors interaction. Future perspectives include the potential value of vasopeptidase inhibitors, of cerebral natriuretic peptide and of therapeutic approaches to induce angiogenesis in ischaemic heart disease (gene therapy, recombining factors).