-
Views
-
Cite
Cite
Michel Komajda, Andrew Coats, Martin R. Cowie, Neville Jackson, Anders Svensson, Panagiotis Vardas, The Cardiovascular Round Table (CRT), Championing cardiovascular health innovation in Europe, European Heart Journal, Volume 34, Issue 33, 1 September 2013, Pages 2630–2635, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/eht211
Close - Share Icon Share
Extract
Introduction
The Cardiovascular Round Table (CRT)1 is an independent forum established by the European Society of Cardiology to facilitate the exchange of scientific knowledge between cardiologists and representatives of the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Its purpose is to provide a non-commercial environment within which experts can freely discuss future issues in cardiovascular medicine and consider the merits of new diagnostics and treatment techniques.
The CRT is concerned that a new epidemic of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is gaining ground in Europe as a result of the growing prevalence of metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes, and comes at a time when support for innovation in cardiovascular medicine is waning. The epidemic represents a massive challenge in terms of managing avoidable disease and death, but it is also a huge opportunity for EU universities, companies, and healthcare providers to be at the forefront of a global response.
A combination of innovation and prevention education campaigns is clearly needed. Investment to develop new treatments to combat the epidemic is, however, under threat from falling margins, particularly in the pharmaceutical sector. Increased regulation, high development costs, and slow time-to-market are all cited as reasons, and the consequence is a clear shift in R&D focus to other geographical regions and medical areas likely to yield better returns.
