Join us on July 17 at 12:00 EST for:

Hypertension Leaders Speak Out to Managed Care: Where Are We and where and Where Do We Go?

The webcast, sponsored by Novartis, convenes several leading experts on hypertension who will, in the discussion:

• Identify special considerations in managing the elderly population
• Address the question “Why is blood pressure poorly controlled?”
• Recognize the roles that adherence and motivation play in improving control
• Discuss current treatments and review new opportunities in pharmalogic managment
• Examine the potential impact of novel pharmacy benefit strategies in hypertension management
• Discuss the report High Blood Pressure and Health Policy: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go Next

The individuals leading the discussion:

• Michael Weber, MD, Professor of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical College, New York
• Jan Ostergren, MD, PhD, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
• Schumarry H. Chao, MD/MBA, President, SHC and Associates, Santa Monica, CA
• Joel M. Neutel, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA

From the report description:

Despite steady progress over the last half of the 20th century in controlling high blood pressure, or hypertension, the 21st century begins with a frightening prospect. The potential for a global pandemic of high blood pressure is enormous, and if this occurs it will result in significantly higher rates of disability and death in the U.S. and around the world. High blood pressure currently affects approximately one billion people worldwide and causes about 7.1 million deaths each year. Unless efforts to control this problem are vastly improved, by the year 2025 the number of people with this serious condition is likely to escalate to 1.56 billion, a projected 60% increase over current rates.

From a public health perspective, this situation is nothing short of a crisis. Data from observational studies find that hypertension increases the risk of cardiovascular events two- to three-fold. High blood pressure is the most consistent and powerful predictor of stroke, and is causally involved in nearly 70% of all strokes.

What can be done about the increasing threat of undiagnosed and uncontrolled high blood pressure in the U.S. and around the world? In 2006, researchers at three leading academic centers, the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom, the arolinska Institute in Sweden, and the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in the U.S. convened two panels of specialists in high blood pressure (one in New York and one in Barcelona). Their objective was to discuss current clinical practice and challenges that will influence the control of high blood pressure in the future. In addition to these meetings and a thorough literature review, the research team analyzed existing practice guidelines, the position statements of government bodies and healthcare institutions regarding high blood pressure control, and the impact of high blood pressure demographics on healthcare systems.

From this assessment of the extent and impact of hypertension on global public health, the research team prepared a comprehensive report — High Blood Pressure and Health Policy: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go Next — to focus on the achievable goal of better addressing the serious medical, economic and human health consequences of unchecked high blood pressure. The report was vetted by 14 leading international medical societies and voluntary health organizations and was funded through an unrestricted educational grant from Novartis Pharma AG.

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