European study of cardiovascular care: prevention pays, standards vary

Three of the four countries in Europe that spend the most per capita on cardiovascular disease prevention and care have topped a new index comparing 29 nations' performance in this area. France, which the report's authors singled out for its high commitment to prevention, joins the major spenders Luxemburg, Norway and Switzerland.

The Euro Consumer Heart Index, compiled over nine months by Sweden-based health care consultancy, Health Consumer Powerhouse, with sponsorship from global drug behemoth Pfizer, comprised 28 performance indicators. These included the prescribing of statins as well as French drug major Sanofi-Aventis' blood thinner Plavix (clopidogrel). Overall, the report found that high quality treatment is available in all European countries, at least for some people. However, with a couple of exceptions, there is a strong cleavage between western and eastern Europe, unlike a previous study of access to drugs, where Estonia, for example, scored highly and the UK scored badly (Marketletter October 15, 2007).

Johan Hjertqvist, the HCP's president, noted that the top performing country in the survey, Luxemburg, is also the European Union country with the best record of allowing patients to receive treatment across borders, in line with efforts by the European Commission since 2001 to allow more crossborder care. More choice of this kind, he argued, would lead to better outcomes across the EU.