Facing down killer diseases

Cancer and heart diseases are two of the world’s top causes of death. WHO says that in 2004, 7.4 million people died from cancer while 17.1 million people died from heart diseases, thus making it the number one cause of death globally. Deaths from cancer and heart diseases are projected to reach 12 million and 23.6 million respectively, in 2030.

The figures paint a grim picture. At the risk of stating the obvious, if nothing is done then we may see the death of 35.6 million people in 2030. To put it in context, that is the whole population of Algeria. So, what are the pharmaceutical giants doing about these growing pandemics?

Now then, take heart. There may well be others that I am not aware of but I do know of two initiatives in Asia driven by big drug manufacturers. Lilly, Merck, and Pfizer have formed the Asian Cancer Research Group (ACRG) while Bayer has several community projects to fight cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

ACRG strives to accelerate research and make available better treatment options for the most prevalent form of cancers in Asia. As a start, it focuses on lung and gastric cancers by creating a pharmacogenomic cancer database composes of information from 2,000 tissue samples. Comparing the contrasting genomic signatures of these cancers can lead to new approaches to treatment. This database is available publicly through an open-source concept.

Bayer, in partnership with the World Heart Federation, supports global educational initiatives on the prevention of CVD. They have a shared commitment of leading the global fight against heart diseases in low and middle income countries. Over the years, Bayer has also supported the World Congress of Cardiology. For this year, as a lead-up to the congress, Bayer hosted a scientific roundtable for cardiologists and journalists, aiming to raise public awareness of the health and economic impacts of CVD.

I feel that these public-spirited projects taken up by the big pharmaceutical companies should be lauded. They demonstrate the social consciousness of commercial enterprises.

The various joint initiatives show the powers of synergy at work. Through collaborative efforts, resources and expertise are combined to accelerate the diffusion of knowledge and awareness of diseases. Hopefully in time to come, these efforts will bear fruits and reduce the projected numbers of deaths.