One Of The World's Largest Heart Disease Studies Reveals How Thousands Of Heart Attacks And Strokes Could Be Prevented Every Year
CHICAGO, Illinois:
"The ONTARGET study is quite rightly being heralded as one of the
most important cardiovascular studies for nearly ten years. It
helps us understand how people in the UK at the highest risk of
cardiovascular disease can best be protected from the devastating
effects of heart attacks and strokes." Bryan Williams, Professor of
Medicine at the University of Leicester and an ONTARGET
investigator.
Results of the
ONTARGET study, presented at the American College of Cardiology's
57th Annual Scientific Sessions, and published in the New England
Journal of Medicine (NEJM), show that telmisartan (Micardis(R) - an
angiotensin receptor blocker or ARB) provides highly effective
protection against cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and
strokes. Cardiovascular disease remains the UK's biggest killer and
death rates in the UK are still amongst the highest in Western
Europe.(1, 2) Telmisartan is currently licensed in the UK for the
treatment of essential hypertension.
"The results of
this landmark study could change the way we currently manage those
at risk of cardiovascular disease, which accounts for approximately
one in every three deaths in the UK and costs the economy as much
as GBP26 billion a year," commented Professor Stephen Ball, British
Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiology, University of Leeds.
"Although there have been steady improvements since the National
Service Framework (NSF) for coronary heart disease was introduced,
we simply can't afford to take our eyes off the ball with the vast
numbers of those living with the daily risk of heart attack and
stroke"
In ONTARGET, a
study conducted among 25,600 people at high-risk risk of a
cardiovascular event, such as heart attack or stroke, 83.3% of
those receiving telmisartan remained free from an event after 5
years. This was equivalent to the 83.5% who remained event-free
when treated with the ACE inhibitor ramipril, the current gold
standard preventative treatment. However, those patients taking
telmisartan experienced significantly fewer side effects, an
important consideration when managing long-term conditions such as
cardiovascular disease.(3)
"The results of
ONTARGET suggest that, with telmisartan, we may now have a
treatment option for high-risk patients that is better tolerated
and that patients may prefer to take, meaning they are more likely
to stay on their treatment in the long term, benefiting from the
cardiovascular protection it provides. This clarifies our treatment
options and could help prevent thousands of deaths from
cardiovascular events in the UK each year," commented Bryan
Williams, Professor of Medicine at the University of Leicester and
an ONTARGET investigator.
The study also
investigated whether the combination of telmisartan and ramipril
provided a greater reduction in cardiovascular events when compared
to the effect of ramipril. The results of ONTARGET showed however
that there was no additional cumulative benefit of administering
telmisartan and ramipril together.(3)
Michael, 50, a
lecturer in nursing from Manchester, was diagnosed with high blood
pressure at the age of 47. "Since the death of my father from a
heart attack when he was just 46, I've been careful to keep healthy
and active by running half marathons, cycling to work, playing
football every week and maintaining a healthy diet. However, four
years ago I received the news I was dreading, that I too suffered
from high blood pressure. I knew how important it was to get to
grips with it to ensure I didn't suffer a heart attack like my Dad,
and with help from my family, preventative drug treatment and a
healthy lifestyle, I've been able to keep my blood pressure under
control."
ONTARGET (the
ONgoing Telmisartan Alone and in combination with Ramipril Global
Endpoint Trial), is the largest cardiovascular trial ever
undertaken with an ARB. Conducted over a period of five years, it
involved more than 25,600 people across 40 countries with a wide
range of cardiovascular risk factors and with normal or controlled
blood pressure.(3)
*Telmisartan is
currently licensed in the UK for the treatment of essential
hypertension
For further
information please visit http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.co.uk or
contact Virgo HEALTH:
About ONTARGET
(3)
- ONTARGET is a
randomised, double blind clinical trial, which evaluated over
25,600 high-risk cardiovascular patients with normal or controlled
blood pressure.
- An outcomes-led
study, ONTARGET is the largest cardiovascular trial undertaken with
an ARB and included the broadest population ever included in this
type: high-risk cardiovascular patients with a history of coronary
heart disease, stroke, transient ischaemic attack, peripheral
vascular disease or diabetes with target organ damage.
- ONTARGET is an
academic-led study managed by the trials centre at McMaster
University, Hamilton, Canada and took place in over 700 centres
across 40 countries.
- A parallel
trial, TRANSCEND (Telmisartan Randomised Assessment Study in
ACE-intolerant subjects with cardiovascular disease) is ongoing,
and is the first trial to test the cardiovascular protective effect
of an ARB (telmisartan) versus placebo, on top of standard therapy
(including anti-hypertensives, anti- platelets, statins), in
individuals who cannot tolerate an ACE inhibitor.
- ONTARGET forms
part of the Landmark study programme, a series of large-scale,
randomised, controlled clinical trials for thousands of patients
recruited from a great number of sites around the world. These
Landmark studies include the ONTARGET/TRANSCEND, PRoFESS, UPLIFT
and RE-VOLUTION trial programmes.
About telmisartan
(Micardis(R))
Telmisartan,
discovered and developed by Boehringer Ingelheim, is a member of
the Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker (ARB) class. It is being
investigated in the most ambitious and far-reaching research
programme conducted with an ARB. In the ongoing clinical trial
programmes ONTARGET, PROTECTION and PRoFESS, over 58,000 patients
have been enrolled to investigate the cardiovascular protective
effects of telmisartan. Telmisartan is indicated for the treatment
of essential hypertension.
About CVD
- CVD remains the
UK's biggest killer, causing 1 in 3 deaths. Despite recent
improvements, death rates in the UK are still amongst the highest
in Western Europe.(1, 2)
- CVD is predicted
to be the largest cause of disability worldwide by 2020.(4)
- Overall CVD is
estimated to cost the UK economy just under GBP26 billion a
year.(5)
About Boehringer
Ingelheim
The Boehringer
Ingelheim group is one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical
companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates
globally with 137 affiliates in 47 countries and 38,400 employees.
Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been
committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing
novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary
medicine.
In 2006,
Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of 10.6 billion euro while
spending one fifth of net sales in its largest business segment
Prescription Medicines on research and development.
References
1. British Heart
Foundation. British Heart Foundation Statistics Website: Numbers
dying from CVD and CHD (last accessed 30 March 2008)
www.heartstats.org/datapage.asp?id=713
2. British Heart
Foundation. British Heart Foundation Statistics Website: Mortality
(last accessed 30 March 2008)
www.heartstats.org/datapage.asp?id=71
3. Yusuf S et al.
Telmisartan, Ramipril, or Both in Patients at High Risk for
Vascular Events. N Eng J Med 2008; 358:1547-59
4. World Health
Organisation. Fact Sheet 317: Cardiovascular Diseases (last
accessed 30 March 2008)
www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs317/en/index.html
5. British Heart
Foundation. British Heart Foundation Statistics Website: Numbers
dying from CVD and CHD (last accessed 30 March 2008) http://www.heartstats.org/datapage.asp?id=101
Note to newsdesk
(please do not reproduce contact details on web/print)
To contact
Professor Williams:
Bryan Williams, MD
FRCP FAHA
Professor of Medicine
Department of Cardiovascular
Sciences,
University of Leicester School of
Medicine.
Address:
Clinical Sciences Building,
P.O. Box 65,
Leicester Royal Infirmary,
Leicester, LE2 7LX,
United Kingdom.
Facsimile: +44 (0)116 252 5847
E-mail: bw17@le.ac.uk
Posted: April 2008
