Executive Briefing - Cardiovascular medicines: flogging pharma's dead horse?

Despite continuing pharmacological and physiological advances, ongoing public health campaigns, and well established guidelines defining challenging treatment targets, cardiovascular disease (CVD) kills more people globally than any other disease. Nevertheless, the pharmaceutical industry seems divided over whether CVD still holds the prospect of realising a reasonable return on investment. On the one hand, several companies are pulling out of CVD R&D, despite having a rich cardiovascular heritage. For example, Pfizer and Wyeth, currently mid-merger, individually announced a shift in focus away from cardiology towards areas such as oncology and neurology.