New EFPIA network created to combat cardiovascular diseases

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) have announced the creation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) network which will work together with stakeholders around the continent to improve policy and outcomes for patients. This network comprises six founding members: Amgen, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi.

A focus area of the CVD Network will be building the evidence to drive better policy proposals and innovative solutions, supporting CVD-patients, their caregivers, and healthcare professionals. This will be done through collaborations with all relevant stakeholders in the CVD-field. In this regard, EFPIA has decided, together with 15 other partner organisations, to co-found the European Alliance on CV Health (EACH) to boost policy action and awareness.

According to the EFPIA, it is of great importance that scientific societies, policy-makers, healthcare professionals, patient groups and the industry come together and join their efforts to reduce the alarming numbers of CVD. The CVD network echoes the call to action of the European Alliance on CV Health and is committed to

• focus on prevention, early detection, access to treatment and rehabilitation with the aim to enable a better quality of life for CVD patients
• build the evidence to support policy proposals and recommend innovative solutions to policy makers and healthcare systems, such as public-private partnerships in CVD innovation
• partner with healthcare systems to achieve more efficient healthcare solutions to tackle CVD primary and secondary prevention in Europe
• promote equal access and rapid uptake of innovative medicines, following state-of-the-art science and expertise in CVD treatment
• raise awareness of the burden of CVD on society
• call for an EU CVD Plan to improve cardiovascular health.

“It is our joint vision to partner with all relevant stakeholders in order to address CVD as the biggest cause of death, acknowledging that more than 60 million people live with CVD in Europe, causing 47 percent of all deaths in women and 39 percent in men on the continent,” commented Christian Thonke, Chair of the newly founded CVD Network.

“We want to bring this vision to life in partnership with healthcare systems, improving care delivery and ensuring fast as well as equal access to innovative treatments for better patient outcomes”, Manuela Machado, Co-Chair of the CVD Network, added.