The Tell-Tale Heart: The Pharmacist's Cardiovascular Digest

You can learn more about the 2026 dyslipidemia guidelines here: 2026 Dyslipidemia Guideline Hub | JACC

Learn more about the HI-PEITHO trial here.You can reach the guest on this episode here:Allison Burnett, PharmD, PhC, CACP, on LinkedIn

In this Heart Month solo episode of the Tell-Tale Heart podcast, host Craig Beavers, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, FCCP, BCCP, BCPS-AQ Cardiology, CACP, examines the “hypertension control paradox” outlined in a recent New England Journal of Medicine perspective, exploring why blood pressure control in the United States remains suboptimal despite effective therapies and long-standing clinical guidelines. Beavers reviews national trends showing stalled progress in hypertension control and contrasts them with higher-performing systems that rely on protocol-driven, team-based care models.

Join us for a deep dive into hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) with Andrew Williford, PharmD, an assistant professor and cardiology specialist at UC San Diego Health. In this episode, we break down the genetics, diagnosis, and clinical impact of HCM, explore how management strategies have evolved, and discuss the emerging role of cardiac myosin inhibitors in treating obstructive disease. Dr. Williford also shares insights from his telehealth GDMT titration clinic and offers practical guidance for pharmacists encountering HCM across care settings.Show notes: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Guideline Hub Aficamten or Metoprolol Monotherapy for Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Mavacamten in Symptomatic Nonobstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Mavacamten for treatment of symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (EXPLORER-HCM): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial

In this episode, host Craig Beavers sits down with Marc Baines, cofounder and executive director of the HeartLife Foundation, to explore heart failure care through the lens of lived experience. Diagnosed with heart failure at just 23 years old, Baines shares his path from sudden diagnosis to heart transplant and the critical role pharmacists played as consistent, trusted members of his care team. From medication education and adherence to quality-of-life conversations and continuity across care settings, this discussion offers pharmacists practical insights into how their everyday interactions can profoundly shape patient outcomes, empowerment, and long-term cardiovascular care.Have feedback on this episode or ideas for future topics you’d like us to cover? Let us know—we’d love to hear what matters most to your practice. Email AAntrim@pharmacytimes.com with your feedback and ideas!Show notes:· Learn more about the HeartLife Foundation

This week, host Craig Beavers spoke with Joe Sassine, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, CLS, about several key trials presented at the American Heart Association 2025 Scientific Sessions.Show notes: VESALIUS-CV trial: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2514428 CORAL REEF trial

The articles discussed in this episode: The Adipokine Hypothesis of Heart Failure With a Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Novel Framework to Explain Pathogenesis and Guide Treatment Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease: 2025 ACC Scientific Statement: A Report of the American College of Cardiology

Pooled Analysis From VICTOR and VICTORIA Trialsβ Blocker After Myocardial Infarction Meta Analysis

Following the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2025, experts sat down again with host Craig Beavers, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, FCCP, BCCP, BCPS (AQ-cards), CACP, to discuss key findings from the meeting. Kaitlin Hile, PharmD, BCCP; Robert Page, PharmD, MSPH, BCPS (AQ-cards), BCGP, FAHA, FHFSA, FCCP, FASHP; and Robert DiDomenico, PharmD, FCCP, FHFSA, FACC, reviewed new data from the meeting and parsed through their lingering questions. Show Notes: Beta-Blockers After Myocardial Infarction Without Reduced Ejection Fraction (REBOOT; NCT03596385) Beta-Blockers After Myocardial Infarction in Patients Without Heart Failure (BETAMI–DANBLOCK; NCT03646357, NCT03778554) Digitoxin in Patients With Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction (DIGIT-HF) Vericiguat in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction (VICTOR): A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Phase 3 Trial (NCT05093933)

This week, host Craig Beavers tackles the upcoming European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2025, taking place August 29 through September 1, 2025. Key data to keep an eye on will include the following: The VICTORION-Difference study of inclisiran in hyperlipidemia The Essence study of olezarsen in hypertriglyceridemia Multiple studies on early discontinuation of aspirin after percutaneous coronary intervention in high-risk acute coronary syndromes The DAPT-SHOCK-AMI trial of cangrelor in patients with cardiogenic shock related to acute myocardial infarction The ALONE-AF trial about stopping anticoagulation after successful atrial fibrillation ablation The ODYSSEY-HCM and MAPLE-HCM studies on mavacamten and aficamten in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Stay tuned on upcoming episodes for deeper dives into these data and other key takeaways from ESC!

This week, host Craig Beavers sat down with Tara Lech, PharmD, CACP, director of anticoagulation services at Beth Israel Lahey Health, to discuss recent findings from the COBBRA trial, which compared bleeding risk with rivaroxaban versus apixaban.

Host Craig Beavers, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, FCCP, BCCP, CACP, chats with Shannon Finks, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS, BCCP, AHSCP-CHC, president and director of pharmacy services at ZupMed in Memphis, Tennessee. Finks reviews exactly what concierge medicine is, as well as its role in cardio-kidney-metabolic health and her own research on compounded GLP-1 and GIP agonists in a pharmacist-managed cardiometabolic clinic.Show Notes: Finks SW, Benavides D, Martin AG, Carmon AS. Real-world observations of using compounded GLP-1 +- GIP agonists within a clinical pharmacist-managed cardiometabolic clinic. J Am Col Clin Pharm. 2024. doi:10.1002/jac5.2071 Lincoff AM, Brown-Frandsen K, Colhoun HM, et al. Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in obesity without diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2023;389:2221-2232. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2307563 ZupMed.com