America’s biopharmaceutical companies are currently developing 190 medicines to treat heart disease and stroke, according to a new report released from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC).
Today, more than 85 million American adults are living with some type of cardiovascular disease, including more than six million adults affected by stroke each year. This robust pipeline of new treatments builds on recent breakthroughs – such as PCSK9 inhibitors – taking new, innovative approaches to address unmet medical needs, building on currently available medicines that have both helped improve cardiovascular health outcomes and decrease death rates from both conditions.
“We are pleased by the gains that have been made in decreasing the burden of heart disease over the past three decades, but heart disease and stroke remain two of the leading health threats to Americans,” said Stephen J. Ubl, president and chief executive officer, PhRMA. “This means that our member companies must stay the course and continue their commitment to discovering even more effective treatments that will continue to improve survival rates for these conditions.”
The new report, “Medicines in Development for Heart Disease & Stroke” includes medicines in development that have the potential to treat acute coronary syndrome, heart failure and cardiomyopathy, which are some of the most severe types of heart disease contributing to U.S. death rates. A few of the medicines currently in the pipeline today include:
- 33 for heart failure, which affects approximately 5.7 million American adults;
- 29 for lipid disorders, including high cholesterol, which affects 30.9 million American adults with total cholesterol levels of more than 240;
- 21 for stroke, which affects 6.6 million American adults;
- 18 for peripheral vascular diseases, including critical limb ischemia and intermittent claudication;
- 12 for hypertension, or high blood pressure, which affects 80 million American adults;
- 12 for thrombosis, a condition characterized by coagulation or clotting of the blood in the veins or arteries (circulatory system).
One critical component of ensuring successful research and development for heart disease and stroke is clinical trial enrollment, so that new treatments can be effectively assessed and reviewed for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
To that end, ABC established a Clinical Trials Network (CTN) that seeks to match investigators from multiple specialties with appropriate trials they may wish to oversee and provides support in recruiting and retaining African American patients for participation. By supporting investigators and clinical trial participation for new cardiovascular therapies, ABC hopes to facilitate more rapid development of treatments.
“It is our hope that by helping to promote participation from investigators and patients in cardiac clinical trials, we can bring new treatments for heart disease and stroke to patients in need at a more rapid pace,” said Dr. Icilma Fergus, president, Association of Black Cardiologists. “We’re encouraged by the extensive pipeline of new treatments in development, and look forward to sustaining our support for these R&D efforts to encourage companies to invest in these critical medicines.