German pharma hails progress against heart disease and rheumatism

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in Germany, with 60,000 people dying of a heart attack every year. So developing drugs to prolong the lives or improve the quality of life of patients with heart disease is a top priority for the pharmaceutical industry, says Birgit Fischer, director general of the German pharma association VFA.

Pharma firms are set to produce four new drugs to treat heart attacks by 2015, and further treatments will concentrate on preventing them. Of these, two improve the lowering of cholesterol from the walls of blood vessels and thus reduce the risk of vascular occlusion.

Five further treatments could be available to tackle pulmonary hypertension by 2015. In recent years, improved drugs have been able to alleviate symptoms for many patients with this problem, and the forthcoming ones should rectify various deficiencies in current therapy and have a greater impact.