A report from a satellite symposium at the British Cardiovascular Society Annual Scientific Conference. Highlights from the A Menarini Pharma UK SRL and CV Therapeutics Europe-sponsored symposium at the British Cardiovascular Society Annual Scientific Conference 2009.
Introduction
Community studies confirm that angina pectoris is a common, debilitating and unrelenting condition, which takes its toll on individuals’ working lives and leisure activities and imposes a significant financial burden on the nation’s health services. The prevalence of angina increases with age and the UK, in common with most of Europe, has an ageing population. A general practitioner will see, on average, four new cases each year. This is the background to what has become a challenging public health problem with continuing resource requirements.
This symposium, chaired by Professor Robert Wilcox (Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Nottingham), addressed these issues and reviewed modern approaches to the medical and interventional management of angina. Findings from the Clinical Outcomes Utilising Revascularisation and Aggressive Drug Evaluation (COURAGE) trial have awakened interest in optimising medical treatment; in selected patients, medical treatment appears to be as effective as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
The symposium also offered an opportunity to review the recently introduced antianginal compound, ranolazine – an inhibitor of the late sodium current.
