MORRISTOWN, N.J., Sept. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The following was issued over the weekend to announce a global partnership between Bayer and the World Heart Federation. As outlined in the release, this partnership will include a variety of components to educate the public and healthcare professionals about cardiovascular risk factors and strategies to prevent cardiovascular events.
These strategies include the use of low-dose aspirin for people at moderate to high risk as recommended by a doctor. Aspirin is the cornerstone of cardiovascular therapy in the U.S. and worldwide; the broader use of aspirin in appropriate patients can substantially reduce the tremendous personal and societal impact of CVD. Yet, despite the widely proven cardioprotective benefits of low-dose aspirin, underutilization remains a serious problem.
To support this global initiative in the United States, Bayer HealthCare plans to continue to work with WHF members such as the American Heart Association (AHA) to support programs, like AHA’s annual Go Red for Women initiative, which works to reduce the nearly half a million female deaths that occur from heart disease each year.
World Heart Federation and Bayer Healthcare Partner to Combat the Rising Global Burden Of Cardiovascular Disease
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Sept. 4 -- The World Heart Federation and Bayer HealthCare have today announced a three-year partnership agreement focusing on the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the highest cause of death across the world. One in three people die from cardiovascular disease, seventeen million every year. The announcement was made at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Stockholm and demonstrates the organisations’ shared commitment to helping the global population achieve a longer and better life through the prevention and control of heart disease and stroke.
Through the partnership, Bayer HealthCare will aid the World Heart Federation in its mission to educate the public and Healthcare professionals of the risks of CVD, to help implement the Principles for National and Regional Guidelines on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention(1) and in initiatives aimed at primary and secondary prevention.
“Our corporate partnership with Bayer HealthCare will help us to further develop our public education initiatives and to encourage the world’s population to adopt a healthy lifestyle to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease. For example, by taking more physical exercise, eating healthily, controlling weight and through smoke-free living. New studies have shown that major health benefits come in as little as six weeks. The partnership will also help the Federation in its aim to share science and build capacity amongst our member organisations, particularly in low and middle income
countries,” said Professor Valentin Fuster, President, World Heart Federation.
In addition to lifestyle changes, using medical therapies such as those which inhibit platelet aggregation, control high blood pressure, lower abnormal cholesterol and treat diabetes can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
“Many of these medical therapies are recommended for the prevention of a heart attack in a broad range of at risk patient populations, yet, despite their widely proven cardio-protective effects when combined with important behavioural changes, their under-utilisation by healthcare professionals and patients is an important problem. More needs to be done to increase awareness of the significant benefits afforded by behaviour change and appropriate medical therapies in achieving CVD prevention,” said Professor Sidney Smith, Chairman Scientific Advisory Board, World Heart Federation.
“As the originator of Aspirin(R), an established inhibitor of platelet aggregation, which is generally included among the preventive medical therapies for those at moderate and high risk, and as one of the leaders in the cardiovascular area, we look forward to working with the World Heart Federation and its member organizations worldwide,” said Dr Wolfgang Plischke, President, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Division.
An important aspect of the partnership will be to improve physicians’ awareness of the World Heart Federation Principles(1) and to assist in implementing the global and regional treatment guidelines in many countries around the world.
Bayer HealthCare will also support the World Heart Federation’s most important awareness building and education event, World Heart Day. The theme for the fifth World Heart Day to be held on 25th September, 2005, is “Healthy Weight, Healthy Shape.” The aim of World Heart Day is to increase public awareness of the threat of heart disease and stroke and the importance of a heart-healthy lifestyle, so that children, adolescents and adults all over the world can live better, longer. The overall message is that preventive measures are, for the most part, inexpensive and will reduce the incidence of death and disability due to CVD. Events will be organised by World Heart Federation members from 100 countries and include festivals promoting healthy eating, professional health counselling and other events to encourage increased physical exercise such as walking, jogging, cycling, roller-skating, skipping, aerobic demonstrations and football matches.
World Heart Federation members are also likely to become involved in community focused prevention education initiatives run by Bayer HealthCare including CardioLab and CardioAlert, in which members of the public are given advice on CVD prevention and invited to take part in free cardiovascular risk checks.
“There is without doubt an unmet need in cardiovascular disease risk management in both primary and secondary prevention,” said Professor Fuster.
Notes to Editors
About the World Heart Federation
The World Heart Federation, a non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, is committed to helping the global population achieve a longer and better life through prevention and control of heart disease and stroke, with a particular focus on low and middle-income countries. It is comprised of 186 member societies of cardiology and heart foundations from 100 countries covering the regions of Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Americas and Africa. Visit: http://www.worldheart.org
About Bayer HealthCare AG
Bayer HealthCare AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the health care and medical products industry. In 2004, the Bayer HealthCare subgroup generated sales amounting to some 8.5 billion Euro. The company combines the global activities of the
divisions Animal Health, Biological Products, Consumer Care, Diabetes Care, Diagnostics and Pharmaceuticals. Bayer HealthCare employed 35,300 people worldwide in 2004. Bayer HealthCare’s aim is to discover and manufacture innovative products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. The products enhance well-being and quality of life by diagnosing, preventing and treating disease. Visit: http://www.bayerhealthcare.com and http://www.cardio.bayer.com
(1) Smith SC Jr et al “Principles for National and Regional Guidelines on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention” issued by the World Heart and Stroke Forum of the World Heart Federation. Circulation, 2004, 109(25):3112-21 visit: http://www.worldheart.org/press-releases-guidelines.php
Bayer Consumer Care
CONTACT: World Heart Federation media contact: Lauren O’Brien, Cohn &Wolfe Public Relations, Tel: +41-22-908-4074, Mobile Tel: +41-79-789-1593,lauren_o’brien@ch.cohnwolfe.com; or Bayer HealthCare media contact: HartmutAlsfasser, +49 (0)214 30 57526, hartmut.alsfasser@bayerhealthcare.com; orBayer HealthCare U.S. media contact: Anne Coiley, +1-973-254-4607,anne.coiley.b@bayer.com; or SENSEI Health media contact: Katie Cline,+1-212-631-0505
