Continuing Progress Against Heart Disease And Stroke

Saturday, March 1, 2003

Eerie aN: uke & ae sale next ue! ncne i vit a reoe vides tt ay so or Mle1;te wuaN a al b ana “ta effSs 2 weot A Lo jaWw!inl ines endl y Neale ea t d fame U4 atGs of “ne “Soy nian a ae one \s ba Continuing Progress Against Heart Disease And Stroke (NAPSA)—Keeping up the momentum of drug discovery that has cut deaths from heart disease and stroke in half over the past three decades, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies continue to work on new medicines for these diseases. Recently, the research-based pharmaceutical manufacturers announced 123 treatmentseither in clinical trials or awaiting approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and stroke is number three. But, thanksin large part to new drug treatments, death rates from these diseases are falling. This reduction is “one of the great triumphs of medicine in the past 50 years,” according to cardiologist Dr. Eugene Braunwald of Harvard Medical School. Muchof the progress is due to the developmentof effective medicines to control both blood pressure and cholesterol. In addition, the treatment for heart attacks has vastly improved; doctors today have medicines that can stop a heart attack in mid-stream,as well as other high-tech treatments. But, experts warn, the waris not yet won. Every 383 seconds, an American dies of either heart disease or stroke. Nearly 62 million Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease, and many people who survive heart attacks develop congestive heart failure; hospitalizations for this disease increased by 165 percent in the past two decades. The incidence and cost of cardiovascular disease are likely to increase as the population ages, unless better treatments are found. The new medicines in the pipeline give evidence that the New medications are continu- ing to help reduce incidence of heart disease and stroke. pharmaceutical industry is continuing the progress against these diseases. Many use cutting-edge technologies and new scientific approaches. For example: A new medicine that shifts the heart’s metabolism to a fuel source that requires less oxygen, reducing episodes of pain and allowing angina patients to be moreactive. A medicine that promotes blood vessel growth and may enable patients to grow their own heart bypasses around blocked arteries. A medicine that blocks a hormonethat forces the heart to pump harder, straining the heart muscle and often leadingto heart failure. A medicine that protects the brain from the damagethat occurs in the aftermath of a stroke. These new medicines promise to continue the already remarkable progress against heart disease and stroke and to raise the quality of life for patients with these diseases. The complete survey can be viewed at www. phrma.org.

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