Menarini provides Pinoys with innovative, affordable drugs for cardiovascular diseases

MANILA, Philippines - Italy’s leading research-based pharmaceutical company Menarini is committed to providing Filipino patients with innovative and affordable treatment options for cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death in the Philippines.

“In the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, Menarini focuses on addressing the risk factors, foremost of which is hypertension,” said Ninia Torres, general manager of A. Menarini Philippines.

“Effective hypertension treatment in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle reduces an individual’s risk of suffering heart attack, heart failure and stroke,” said Dr. Jimmy Bautista, medical and scientific director of A. Menarini Philippines.

Menarini’s contribution to cardiovascular disease treatment dates back to 1988 when the company introduced the first ACE inhibitor combined with a diuretic, a combination pill that is now an integral part of standard anti-hypertension therapy.

Since then, Menarini’s commitment to cardiovascular disease treatment has remained as strong as ever. In the past 10 years, the company has launched nine anti-hypertension drugs.

Nebivolol

Menarini recently introduced nebivolol in the Philippines. A highly selective beta blocker with a unique mechanism of action, nebivolol acts on nitric oxide, a chemical produced in the blood vessels that controls the flow of blood by signaling the vessels to expand and contract. By causing blood vessels to widen, nitric oxide improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure.

The groundbreaking discovery of nitric oxide’s action on blood vessels was made by Prof. Louis Ignarro, distinguished professor of pharmacology at the UCLA School of Medicine in California. In 1998, he received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his seminal work on the role of nitric oxide in cardiovascular health.

“Nitric oxide can reverse cardiovascular damage,” said Ignarro.

Nebivolol has been available in Europe since 1999 for the treatment of hypertension and heart failure. It is a third-generation beta blocker, a class of anti-hypertension drugs that lower blood pressure by blocking the effects of the hormone epinephrine, also known as adrenaline.

Beta blockers make the heart beat more slowly and with less force, thereby reducing blood pressure; they also help blood vessels relax (dilate) to improve blood flow. Beta blockers are among the most widely used drugs in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Nebivolol is the only beta blocker known to induce vascular production of nitric oxide. Its unique mode of action is particularly relevant in hypertension, in which nitric oxide dysfunction occurs. In fact, nebivolol is able to reverse endothelial dysfunction. The endothelium is the inner lining of the blood vessels.

When functioning normally, the endothelium helps to regulate blood clotting, assists the body’s immune response, controls the volume of fluid and the amount of electrolytes and other substances that pass from the blood into the tissues, and produces dilation or constriction of the blood vessels. When endothelial dysfunction is present, the ability to perform one or more of these functions is reduced.

Nebivolol is indicated for the treatment of essential hypertension and mild and moderate chronic heart failure in addition to standard therapies in elderly patients.

“Hypertension is a major risk factor of cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death in the Philippines. Menarini is pleased to make an effective hypertension therapy available to Filipino patients,” Torres said.

In line with its commitment to enhance the quality of cardiovascular disease management in the country, A. Menarini Philippines has arranged for Ignarro to speak during the 44th annual convention of the Philippine Heart Association, which will be held on May 29-31 at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City.

Ignarro’s talk will be viewed simultaneously via live streaming in Baguio, Pampanga, Batangas and Davao.