4.6M Filipinos to benefit from new anti-anginal drug

About 4.6 million Filipinos suffering from chronic stable angina are expected to benefit from a new drug that was introduced at the Philippine Heart Association Annual Convention at the EDSA Shangri-La Manila on Thursday, May 28, 2015.

The Menarini Group, a leading Italian pharmaceutical company known worldwide for its innovative products, recently signed an exclusive long-term agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to launch a new anti-anginal agent, in 140 countries, including the Philippines.

A. Menarini Philippines, Inc. said the novel drug is designed to help millions of Filipinos with stable angina pectoris whose symptoms have not been controlled by first-line and second-line therapy agents like beta blockers and/or calcium antagonists.

The World Health Organization¹ has stated that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the No. 1 cause of death worldwide. In 2008 alone, about 17.3 million died from CVDs, representing 30% of global deaths.

WHO added that over 80% of CVD deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries, and occurs in both men and women. To make matters worse, the New England Journal of Medicine² added that at 12 months of follow-up, 59% of patients on medical therapy still had uncontrolled angina.

In the Philippines, CVD is a leading cause of mortality and 90% of the population has one or more of the six prevalent risk factors of the disease. These are smoking, physical inactivity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, overweight, and obesity.

“We are delighted and honored to further strengthen our long-term partnership with Gilead to help address the needs of angina patients in these new territories, in particular the Asia Pacific region,” said Alberto Giovanni Aleotti, vice president of the Menarini Group.

Menarini is an international pharmaceutical company with over 16,000 employees worldwide in more than 100 countries in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, and has a 2012 turnover of over €3 billion. It ranks 17^th in Europe and 34^th in the world, according to the IMS World Review 2012.

The Group has 14 manufacturing sites located in Italy and abroad where over 545 million packages yearly are produced and distributed throughout the five continents, ensuring the health of patients all over the world. For more information, visit http://www.menarini.com/

References:

1.      Global status report on non-communicable diseases 2010. Geneva, World Health   Organization, 2011

2.       N Engl J Med 2007; 356:1503-1516 April 12, 2007

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