Coronary disease is the leading cause of death in Australia, currently responsible for approximately 24% of all deaths. The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggests 17.9 million people, but as Jonathan Jackson writes the numbers are decreasing.
Australia is a generally healthy nation.
That’s not a fact that exists only in the head of this author. There are stats to back the assumption.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s latest 'Australia’s Health 2022: In Brief' report, one of the major indicators of health of any nation is life expectancy.
As of April 2022, the life expectancy of an Australian is 83.2 years of age – 81.2 years for men and 85.3 years for women. Compare this with 1990, when men were expected to live 73.9 years and women for 80.1 years.
The leading cause for men is coronary heart disease – we’ll get to that shortly. For women, it is dementia and lung cancer. But let’s first look at the positives.
Survival cancer rates are improving. Alcohol abstention rates rose from 16.3% in 2001 to 23.8% in 2022, the life satisfaction rate in Australia is 6.7 out of 10.
Generally speaking, Australians are happy and healthy. However, we’re still dying of coronary disease/cardiovascular disease (CVD) at alarming rates and that’s despite the good work of companies such as Anteris Technologies Ltd (ASX:AVR, OTC:AMEUF), Race Oncology Ltd (ASX:RAC, OTC:RAONF), EBR Systems Ltd, Advara HeartCare and others are doing.
What are CVDs?
I eat too much chocolate but I counterbalance that with a lot of exercise, too much fruit and a generally healthy diet (other than chocolate).
Yet, my risk factors are high: family history plays against me in terms of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, unhealthy weight, sleep apnoea. I could probably go on. Fortunately, I have none of the above but family history suggests at some stage I may succumb. That in itself is a cause of stress, which is a factor in CVD.
So apart from the abovementioned factors what is CVD and what are the causes?
According to WHO, CVDs encompass disorders of the heart and blood vessels, including coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and rheumatic heart disease. More than 80% of CVD deaths are attributed to heart attacks and strokes, with one-third occurring prematurely in individuals under 70 years of age.
Key behavioural risk factors for heart disease and stroke include an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful alcohol consumption. Air pollution is a significant environmental risk factor. These risk factors contribute to raised blood pressure, glucose and lipid levels, as well as obesity, which increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other complications.
Preventive measures such as quitting tobacco, reducing salt intake, eating more fruits and vegetables, engaging in regular physical activity and avoiding harmful alcohol use can reduce CVD risk. Health policies that promote healthy lifestyles and improve air quality are crucial. Identifying high-risk individuals and providing access to essential medicines and health technologies in primary care settings can prevent premature deaths.
So what is being done?
Plenty, really.
Heart health visionaries
While one in six individuals in Australia self-reports as living with CVD, translating to more than 4.5 million Australians, or nearly 18% of the total population, advances in medical research and a greater understanding of risk factors have led to an 80% decline in CVD cases since the 1980s.
That’s good news, which should only get better. From hospitals, research centres such as the Baker Heart Institute, to biotech and pharma companies working on prevention, treatments and cures there’s plenty to look forward to in heart health management.
Advara HeartCare
Advara HeartCare is committed to providing world-class cardiovascular care for all Australians with a focus on preventative treatment, non-invasive procedures and remote monitoring.
Since 2006, the company has positively impacted more than 500,000 patients and their loved ones annually through a model of personalised care.
The company emphasises the importance of curiosity and collaboration in conducting thorough and insightful research. Advara HeartCare’s mission is to advance care and reduce the impact of heart disease in Australia through personalised care, research, and world-leading outcomes.
Advara HeartCare has a network of sub-specialised cardiologists to treat all types of heart conditions. It delivers heart tests, also referred to as diagnostic or non-invasive cardiac tests, used to diagnose a variety of conditions. Depending on the test, the company may be looking at the structure or electrical conduction of the heart, at rest or under stress.
It also offers cardiac device remote monitoring, which allows implanted devices (such as pacemakers and defibrillators) to be monitored and checked remotely, without a patient needing to attend a clinic. This is done using mobile network coverage, a standard telephone landline connection or a wireless internet service, depending on the monitor type.
Anteris Technologies
Anteris Technologies Ltd (ASX:AVR, OTC:AMEUF) is a structural heart company, focused on developing next-generation technologies that help healthcare professionals create life-changing outcomes for patients.
The Anteris’ DurAVR™ aortic replacement valve addresses the acute need in terms of superior hemodynamic profile as well as chronic needs in its ability to sustain that profile longer over the lifetime of the patient.
The company recently raised $30 million to support the ongoing development of DurAVR® THV, a novel first-in-class biomimetic heart valve that restores near-normal flow dynamics.
Further to this with technology partner v2vmedtech, Anteris has reached the concept lock stage on the first phase of development for the next generation Transcatheter Edge to Edge Repair (TEER) system for mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation.
The two structural heart companies are developing the new TEER system for patients with mitral and tricuspid valve disease, where damaged valves cause blood to leak between the ventricles and atriums of the heart.
Anteris is currently seeking to relist its stocks on the Nasdaq with a re-domiciliation to the United States under a scheme of arrangement that would see Delaware-based Anteris Technologies Global Corp become the parent company of the Anteris Group.
Race Oncology
While Race Oncology Ltd (ASX:RAC, OTC:RAONF) is predominantly focused on cancer, it has reformulated Bisantrene for easy infusion and is also focused on cardio-protective benefits.
The company is clinically focused on anthracycline combinations, where it hopes to deliver cardio-protection and enhanced anticancer activity in solid tumours, as well as a low-intensity treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia.
EBR Systems
EBR Systems is working to change cardiac rhythm management.
Founded in Silicon Valley in 2003, the company focuses on blending clinical insights with technological ingenuity to overcome the limitations of conventional cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT).
Its WiSE technology introduces a leadless, versatile, and a physiologic approach to pacing the heart.
The WiSE CRT System uses proprietary wireless technology to pace the left ventricle endocardially and deliver personalised pacing therapy to patients.
In late July, the results of EBR’s pivotal SOLVE-CRT trial were published in the esteemed peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Cardiology.
Initially presented during the Late Breaking Clinical Trial session at HRS2023, these results highlighted that the WiSE CRT System successfully achieved its primary safety and efficacy endpoints for heart failure (HF) patients.
The publication of EBR’s SOLVE results underscores the robustness of the clinical data supporting the WiSE CRT System and reaffirms the trial’s clinical importance. JAMA Cardiology is highly selective, with only 10% of submissions accepted for publication. The growing academic and clinical interest in our work is encouraging, and we are pleased to see coverage in such a distinguished journal as we advance towards regulatory and commercial milestones.
In safe hands
This is a just a miniscule sample of some of the work being done in the heart health space. The numbers of CVD deaths are still too high. Yet, hope exists, that we can decrease the disease numbers through a combination of technology, healthy living and breakthroughs in treatments.
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