Not too long ago, I sat in a room full of ASEAN health writers visibly excited to hear some hearty news at the Bayer media conference. Over the years, Bayer has been giving us innovations that warm the cockles of the heart. For instance, have you heard about this wonderful drug called Xarelto (rivaroxaban) that can prevent and treat blood clots in those who have atrial fibrillation (AF)? In layman’s lingo, AF means an irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots, heart failure, stroke, and other heart-related complications. (Fact is, AF patients are five times more at risk of a stroke than those without AF.) More, this drug can improve clinical outcomes for a broad range of cardiovascular diseases, which are today’s leading cause of death worldwide. All the while, I thought it was cancer or the much-dreaded Big C.
Taken once daily, Xarelto (20mg) resulted in a 60-percent risk reduction in stroke with a lower risk of the most feared intracranial bleeds, compared to warfarin.
A dose of good old aspirin
I know of a lot of people who take aspirin, like they do their morning coffee, as a preventive measure. Bayer discloses that adding Xarelto (2.5mg twice daily) to the good old aspirin (a low dose of 100mg once daily) resulted in a significant 24-percent risk reduction of major cardiovascular events in patients with chronic coronary peripheral artery diseases, compared to aspirin alone.
On a sweltering day in Singapore, I get more heartwarming updates on new treatments at this year’s Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division Asia Pacific media conference.
At the heart of Bayer’s R&D initiatives are diseases with potential breakthrough impacts such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer (Asia bears half of the world’s cancer burden).
This year, at the Bayer event, we stumble upon the poignant story of a two-year-old girl suffering from infantile fibrosarcoma whose only alternative option was a leg amputation. But then what saved her leg was four cycles of Larotrectinib which reportedly has a potential for cancer cure.
Just last year, aside from Xarelto, Bayer gave us two other key products: the eye medicine Eyelea (aflibercept) for retinal disorders and oral cancer treatment Nexavar (sorafenib) for late-stage liver cancer and advanced kidney cancer.
Tailored treatment designed for cancer
And now, Bayer unravels a new paradigm in cancer treatment called precision medicine. The future of medicine is here, promising hope for more targeted therapies with better treatment results and fewer side effects. This innovative treatment, which zeroes in on the individual makeup of a patient’s tumor, tackles hard-to-cure diseases like cancer.
Precision medicine is certainly an area of high potential and interest for Bayer though it has yet to be approved in the Philippines, as the regulatory applications will come in waves and different timelines per country.
Are people now enjoying a longer life span?
A definite yes! “If you look at the last 20 or 30 years of the industry inventing new medicine, what we have achieved for society is completely incredible,” asserts Claus Zieler, senior vice president and head of commercial operations, Bayer Phamaceuticals Division Asia/Pacific. “The death rate from heart attacks in high-risk cases has decreased by 75 percent. Three out of four patients will not die versus before. We have reduced results of complications from diabetes. We have reduced blindness in people who have age-related eye diseases. So, the innovations have produced a longer life span and a healthier, longer life span. A better quality of life.”
Now more than ever, Bayer has its sights — and heart — set on addressing those unmet health challenges among the aging population. Bayer partners with NUS (National University of Singapore) Enterprise in the Healthy Hearts, Healthy Aging initiative to bring together healthcare experts, policy makers, academia, innovators, non-government organizations, and corporations to examine the role of health innovations in preventing serious cardiovascular events in seniors living with CVD.
For this launch, we join a horde of guests at the National University of Singapore, which we learn has its latest research focused on the use of data science and cybersecurity to support Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative.
Teching up healthcare
The role of technology in the long-term management of cardiovascular diseases just can’t be overlooked. “A reliable and easily accessible resource or application will not only empower AF patients and their caregivers with the right knowledge on the disease but will also encourage them to take an interest in actively monitoring their medication adherence and minimizing their risk of an AF-related stroke,” says Vernon Kang, chief executive officer, Singapore Heart Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization leading the battle vs. heart disease in Singapore.
“The incidence of cardiovascular diseases is getting more common in this part of the world, compared to Western countries where CVD is going down,” remarks associate professor Mark Chan, deputy director, Cardiovascular Research Institute, National University Health System.
The young Mark himself leads a very stressful life and suffers from high cholesterol. “I think for most people, it’s a combination of lifestyle, diet, smoking, and lack of exercise,” he points out. “Singaporeans get incentives like food stamps if they achieve their 10,000 steps-a-day goal.”
The male speakers in this forum are convinced that men lead a more stressful life than women and thus have a higher risk of CVD. Of course, the women in the audience beg to differ.
A hopeful Mark shares, “The good news about CVD is there are very good treatments that don’t cost a lot.”
So, who’s afraid of aging? “There is no typical old age, people age differently,” says Dr. Lo Ying-Ru Jacqueline, head of mission and World Health Organization representative to Malaysia, Brunei, Darussalam, and Singapore. “We can build a future in which it is good to grow old. Innovation will have an important role to play.”
I agree, with all my heart!