Servier together with World Heart Federation and Global Heart Hub, launches “Use Heart to Act Now on Angina”, a public campaign to raise awareness on angina.

  • Angina affects more than 100 million people globally.
  • Angina has a negative impact on quality of life and leads to a 3-fold higher risk of disability, 5-fold higher risk of job loss, and 4-fold higher risk of depression.
  • 43% of angina patients remain underrecognized.
  • 60% of angina patients are not receiving an optimal therapy.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant reduction (-40%) in access to interventional procedures due to an overload in hospitals.

Servier, an international pharmaceutical group, with World Heart Federation (WHF), the principal representative body for the global cardiovascular (CV) community, and Global Heart Hub (GHH), the principal association for patients with CV disease, will launch “Use Heart to Act Now on Angina” on April 20. This worldwide campaign aims to raise public awareness about the symptoms of angina, which are often underestimated. The official launch of the campaign will take place during a webinar run by WHF President, Prof. Fausto Pinto, on April 20 at 14:00 CEST. The webinar will leverage learnings from the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic, emphasizing that now, more than ever, it is necessary to continue to focus on heart health and that consulting your doctor promptly is key to positive health outcomes.

Angina affects more than 100 million people globally.

More than 100 million people globally are affected and the huge impact of angina on the quality of life of patients includes consequences such as disability,2 job loss,2 and depression.3 As angina manifests in a variety of ways, the symptoms may be hard to recognize, and risk being attributed to stress, menopause, or digestive issues.

The incidence and prevalence of patients with angina is expected to increase in the coming decade as a result of an aging population, the obesity epidemic, the greater use of life-prolonging therapies, and better management of acute coronary syndromes.

About Angina

Angina is a pain or discomfort in the chest caused by an insufficiency of oxygen in the cardiac cells. It often has a squeezing or pressure-like feel in the chest and usually lasts for no more than 2 to 10 minutes. Traditionally, typical angina should meet all the following criteria: typical chest pain in terms of quality and duration, it should be provoked by exertion or emotional stress, and it should be relieved by rest and/or nitrates within minutes.1

1 Balla C, Pavasini R, Ferrari R. Cardiology. 2018;140:52–67.

“Use Heart to Act Now on Angina”, is a worldwide campaign to improve disease awareness, facilitate timely detection of angina patients, and implement optimal angina management. 

Angina patients often remain underdiagnosed and undertreated. It is essential for early warning signs to be recognized in time by both health professionals and patients alike.

Therefore Servier, the World Heart Federation, and WHF’s Member organization, the Global Heart Hub are forging a path in the fight to address the urgency of angina symptoms, its potential consequences, and necessary care. “Use Heart to Act Now on Angina” is a new joint initiative that brings together the latest medical perspectives and patient views in order to ensure that we take angina seriously.

Elsa Steo, WomenHeart Ambassador 2021, stated: “I was really lucky. I saw a new, young doctor who took my symptoms very seriously, and did an EKG. He didn’t have a lot to compare to, but he didn’t like what he saw, so he sent me directly for blood tests and arranged an appointment with a cardiologist. After further investigation, they found I had three blocked arteries, one of which was 100% blocked. To this day, I can’t be grateful enough to my primary care doctor for reacting so quickly.”

Available in six languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish), the international awareness campaign “Use Heart to Act Now on Angina” will be deployed on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram throughout April to September 2021.

Samuele Doratori, Head of Cardiovascular, Global Medical and Patient Affairs at Servier:
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, an excess mortality resulting from cardiovascular diseases has been reported. As a health actor deeply involved in cardiovascular diseases, this crisis has reinforced our responsibility in providing relevant medical education for the management of these conditions, such as angina. Servier’s participation in this awareness initiative, conducted with WHF and the GHH, shows the Group’s strong mobilization to improve the lives of patients with chronic cardiovascular diseases.”

Fausto Pinto, World Heart Federation President: “Cardiovascular disease presents itself in many ways including, angina. Symptoms of angina often go unheeded, can vary widely, and often manifest differently in men and women. WHF welcomes partnerships such as this one which are crucial for pooling knowledge and deploying experience to help beat cardiovascular disease – the world’s number one killer – claiming more than 18 million lives around the world each year.”

Neil Johnson, Director, Development & Strategy, Global Heart Hub: “Angina is a clear symptom of an underlying heart problem, and that’s why the Global Heart Hub wants to empower patients to Use Heart, connect with their health care provider and Act Now on Angina. We need to increase public awareness of angina, and encourage early detection and diagnosis, so that optimal management can be achieved and the impact on quality of life can be minimized.”