Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most devastating health problems in the world.  According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 16.7 million people around the globe die of cardiovascular diseases each year, accounting for about one-third of all deaths globally. By 2020 heart disease and stroke will become the leading cause of both death and disability worldwide, with the number of fatalities projected to increase to more than 24 million a year by 2030. CVD is the leading cause of death in Europe, accounting for more than 4 million deaths each year, 40% of all European deaths. CVD accounted for more than 238,000 deaths in the UK in 2002. Thirty-nine percent of deaths in the UK are from CVD.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 950,000 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each year, which amounts to one death every 33 seconds. About 61 million Americans (almost one-fourth of the population) have some form of cardiovascular disease. The CDC says almost 6 million US hospitalizations each year are due to cardiovascular disease.   Heart disease and stroke, the principal components of cardiovascular disease, are the first and third leading causes of mortality in the United States, accounting for more than 40 percent of all deaths.

In addition to the traditional lipid profile, other biomarkers such as homocysteine and lipoprotein (a) have been gaining recognition as important independent or corroborative indicators of cardiac risk. Another new cardiac biomarker is IMA® (Ischemia Modified Albumin), the first commercially available biomarker for the assessment of myocardial ischemia.  Used in conjunction with the ECG and Troponin, IMA helps to rule out acute coronary syndrome earlier than any other method available.  This is exclusively manufactured and supplied by Inverness Medical Innovations.

The cardiovascular market is enormous and expanding, and one in which cardiac biomarkers are playing more and more of a significant role.  We feel that our commitment in this area is in alignment with market trends and represents a high-potential investment in the future.