Novartis: agreements with regions and more research against cardiovascular risk

The annual expenditure for cardiovascular diseases in the European Union is about 282 billion euros, or 2 per cent of GDP, distributed between health care, social welfare, and loss of productivity. In Italy, the per-capita cost (EUR 726) is higher than the European average (EUR 630) and altogether exceeds EUR 40 billion with approximately 220 thousand deaths each year.

Yet, reversing this health emergency is possible: according to a study published in The Lancet, early diagnosis and primary and secondary prevention interventions could reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease worldwide by 82% by 2050, saving 8.7 million lives each year. In this direction, the EU has allocated EUR 53 million under the EU4Health funding programme, within Next Generation EU, with the aim of developing national plans on cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. This includes the National Strategic Plan for Heart Health, developed by scientific societies, and the research efforts of the pharmaceutical industries. "Today our commitment is focused on the control of LDL cholesterol, the main risk factor for these diseases, where we have opened up new therapeutic perspectives," explained Valentino Confalone, CEO of Novartis Italia, commenting on the data on the occasion of World Heart Day, which is celebrated on 29 September. In this area we are conducting one of the most extensive clinical programmes ever conducted, involving over 60 thousand patients in more than 50 countries. In Italy we want to contribute to reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases by 25%, with a concrete impact on the lives of millions of people and their families'.

It is precisely in the cardiovascular area, however, that the multinational continues to develop the Torre Annunziata pole, which represents a strategic asset. By 2028, Novartis Italia plans to invest over €150 million in research and development. In 2024 the company has and conducted 199 clinical trials in Italy, covering all the main therapeutic areas and involving a total of 2,300 patients, in 1,00 university hospital centres. 'In the last two years we have signed 8 regional agreements and various collaboration projects,' explains Confalone, 'which have led to important initial results, such as those achieved in Lazio thanks to the cardiovascular risk stratification carried out on 1.3 million citizens, within the framework of the memorandum of understanding between the ASL Roma 2 and Novartis, focused on dyslipidemia. Starting from the results that emerged, the ASL Roma 2 outlined a specific health pathway, with the opening of an outpatient clinic dedicated to dyslipidemia at the Sandro Pertini Hospital. I hope that this project can represent a virtuous example for other realities as well'. Other projects are active in Sicily with the SiCura project (Integrated Solutions for the Treatment of Dyslipidemia), implemented by the Provincial Health Authority (ASP) of Enna to improve the management of dyslipidemia on the territory through a new model of value-based medicine, and in Campania, where a letter of intent was signed in January 2025 for collaboration between the Campania Region and Novartis Italia to implement programmes aimed at reducing cardiovascular events for the citizens most at risk and regional mortality rates: almost 21 thousand deaths every year.

But the current trade tensions, with the introduction of tariffs, and a complex geopolitical context could slow down the work and commitment of pharmaceutical companies in Italy. 'What is needed is the decisive will to reverse course and support innovation, which must be recognised for its clinical benefit, but also for its economic and social value,' Confalone explains. The solutions exist, but there is no time to lose'. Therefore, the pharmaceutical payback must be removed 'which today represents one of the most urgent risks for Italy's ability to compete and progress in an increasingly complex international context'. For some companies, the payback weighs as much as 16% of turnover and is estimated to exceed €2 billion in 2025, with an inevitable impact on companies' ability to continue investing in Italy, in research and employment. "Italy," concludes Confalone, "cannot lose its leading role in a sector that in 2024 produced 56 billion, of which 54 billion for exports.