An EU heart health plan to tackle Europe’s number one killer

Europe urgently needs a more coordinated approach in the fight against cardiovascular disease to take full advantage of technological advances and the pandemic-driven political focus on improved healthcare, a Friends of Europe debate heard Tuesday.

Taking the right decisions now can make Europe a global champion in the race to kill the leading killer of European Union citizens, said participants in the online event.

“There are tremendous developments in medicine at this point in time. A massive opportunity for cardiovascular disease,” (7:48) explained Stephan Achenbach, President of the European Society of Cardiology, Chairman of the Department of Cardiology and Professor of Medicine at the University of Erlangen.

“We have new drugs, completely new ways of developing drugs, artificial intelligence, genetics, genomics, robotics, [and] much more, but we need research to apply these developments to cardiovascular disease,” added Achenbach, who had been operating on an emergency patient just hours before the debate. “We can achieve a lot … if we join forces and work on this together.” (8:57)

Achenbach was among several speakers and contributors, which included policymakers, healthcare professionals, industry and advocacy groups, who discusses Europe’s role in tackling heart diseases responsible for the deaths of 1.8mn Europeans every year with a cost of over €210bn to the economy.

Jean-Luc Lemercier, Corporate Vice-President of Europe, Middle East, Africa, Canada and Latin America at Edwards Lifesciences, was among those calling for a European plan on cardiovascular disease to improve resilience and health of citizens.

“Such a plan would represent the concerted integration of the solutions and innovations that truly make a difference in the lives of patients,” (31:26) Lemercier said.

To that end, he announced the launch of the roadmap, EU Action Plan for Better Cardiovascular Health, drawn up by MedTech Europe for a European cardiovascular disease plan covering a full range of problems from prevention to treatment and quality of life, with a focus on digital and innovative solutions.

Among its recommendations are calls for Europe to facilitate sharing of best practice; a common information system to register and monitor cardiovascular diseases; rewards for innovation that improves patient outcomes; and accelerated digitalisation.

Calls for a more joined-up European approach also came from members of the European Parliament on the panel.

“The holistic approach must be at the centre of the preoccupations of European politicians and we now have an opportunity,” (15:25) said Manuel Pizarro, MEP and Member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL). “The COVID-19 pandemic shows to everybody that health threats are, of course, an international problem, a European problem and they deserve a European integrated answer.”

Right now, however, there is a lack of cooperation that means heart disease campaigners “are not on the winning team”, asserted Tuija Brax, Vice President of the European Heart Network and Secretary General for the Finnish Heart Association.

She called for improved communications to raise the profile of heart disease among the public and policymakers that can generate the sort of emotion and “fear” around cancer and mental health.

“We have to change … this is not going to be okay unless we join our forces to make a better common message,” Brax said. “There is this danger that we are a little bit too satisfied with ourselves … we need to really raise our voice. We need to be a little bit aggressive.” (1:02:53)

An integrated EU approach could also overcome inequalities associated with cardiovascular disease, both within and among European countries, argued Juozas Olekas, MEP and former health minister of Lithuania.

“We should arrange the minimum standards for detection, protection, treatment and daily life at the European level,” (39:07) he said. “We need to strengthen European competence in the field of health … and eliminate all the inequalities that are currently costing our citizens their lives.”

Calls for an EU action plan on heart disease were also backed by video messages from MEPs Brando Benifei and Isabel Estrada Carvalhais, both members of the MEP Heart Group.

Pierre Delsaux, Deputy Director-General at the European Commission Directorate General

for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), agreed on the need for more coordination at the EU level. He said a strong European Health Union was “fundamental” to achieving more equality among member states.

However, at the moment, there is no EU plan on cardiovascular disease and there should be a realistic approach to taking action within the existing framework.

That includes working more broadly to tackle obesity, alcohol, tobacco and other lifestyle factors; using revised EU pharmaceutical legislation to fight heart disease; funding the fight against non-communicable diseases through the EU4Health Programme; and mobilising the health research potential of the €672.5bn post-pandemic Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Delsaux underscored the Commission’s readiness to work with other stakeholders in taking forward the fight against Europe’s biggest killer.

“I don’t believe that as the European Commission we can develop such a thing in isolation. We need to be in close contact with the stakeholders,” (49:10) he said. “The message is clear: my door and the doors of my colleagues are open because we cannot develop and fight such a disease without your input. We need to, and we will, listen to you.”