How to report an unexpected adverse side effect
Come segnalare una reazione avversa di un farmaco
Menarini's contribution to the cardiovascular area goes back to 1988, when the company gave the medical profession the first ACE-inhibitor combined with a diuretic, i.e. the progenitor of a class of drugs which has now fully entered into clinical practice. Since then Menarini's assiduous commitment to the cardiovascular sector has remained constant; the result is the possibility today of offering the Italian doctor a wide range of pharmaceutical products which are all in the forefront of progress and each of which has particular, distinct features; these are backed up by an information and scientific update service which is thorough and rapid. Particularly in the cardiovascular sector, Menarini has concentrated on the area of the prevention of risk factors, treatment of hypertension being paramount. Naturally the choice of the most suitable drug will always depend on individual patient characteristics, on the specific disease and on the doctor's clinical experience. In order to promote a thorough anamnestic investigation, which may be the result of a correct, in-depth exchange of clinical information between doctor and patient, we felt it interesting to supply a brief glossary of the medical and clinical terms which most frequently occur in the context of cardiology, knowledge of which will prove useful to patients in their day-to-day relations with their general practitioner.
Arterial hypertension is surely one of the most important risk factors in cardiovascular accidents together with smoking, diabetes and the increase of fats in the blood. The treatment of hyperthension with antihyperthesive drugs can reduce stroke and cardiac events (ischemia and heart failure) linked to high blood pressure levels.
Menarini's presence in the cardiovascular area goes back to the 1980's when a new association of two antihypertensive drugs was marketed (ACE-inhibitor and diuretic) that improved the therapeutic approach to the hypertensive patient. Menarini's commitment to the cardiovascular area has been constant. In fact, in the past 10 years as many as 9 antihypertensive drugs have been put at the physician's disposal. Among these, an innovative drug has been made available to hypertensive patients that has a peculiar mechanism of action. It physiologically acts by increasing the nitric oxide, a substance produced by the vessels themselves, that has vasodilative properties, and therefore reduces arterial pressure. The antihypertensive treatment has also lead to a decrease in the serious disease called heart failure in which the heart is no longer able to maintain an adequate blood flow for the metabolic necessities of the peripheral tissues.
Ischemic events (e.g. heart attack, angina pectoris) are linked to a critical reduction of blood flow to the heart and are mainly correlated to arteriosclerosis. The current availability of drugs able to act against the mechanisms at the base of the development of an arteriosclerotic lesion has opened many new therapeutic prospects. In the beginning of the 1990's Menarini, consolidating its commitment in the cardiovascular area, presented to the medical class a new drug that reduces cholesterol in the blood. This drug belongs to a class of drugs known as statins. Medical progress, to which Menarini has always tried to give its contribution, has made us accustomed to witnessing a reduction of mortality in cardiovascular events during these past few years. The reduction of mortality in myocardial infarction and the improved control of heart failure have and continue to lead to an increase in life expectancy and an improvement in the quality of life in these patients.
Chronic stable angina is a debilitating disease. It’s a manifestation of chronic ischemic heart disease due to an altered balance between oxygen supply and consumption in the myocardium. This condition is essentially due to the presence of atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels. The typical symptom of stable angina is chest pain that occurs after exercise or in response to emotional stress and subsides with rest or by taking nitroglycerin. There are, however, patients who don’t experience pain, but other symptoms that are defined anginal equivalent (eg. dyspnea, asthenia). As described in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines issued in 2006, stable angina creates a permanent disability of patients (often elderly), may require hospitalization and leads to a marked worsening of the quality of life. According to the data of EURO HEART SURVEY, at the moment of the diagnosis, 60% of patients with stable angina has already a moderate limitation (Canadian Cardiovascular Society Class grade II) or severe (grade III CCSC) in performing normal daily activities. According to the recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the treatment of stable angina should have, as a major goal, the improvement of quality of life by controlling the severity and frequency of symptoms. The current therapeutic approaches are represented by changes in lifestyle, drug treatment or revascularization. Menarini makes available to the physicians a new antianginal drug [approved by the FDA in the United States in 2006 and more recently by the EMA in the European Union (2008) for the symptomatic treatment of chronic stable angina in patients who are not controlled by the first line therapy (beta-blockers and/or calcium channel-blockers) or intolerant to them] that acts by selectively inhibiting the late sodium current (pathologically increased in myocardial ischemic conditions) without affecting, in a clinically significant manner, blood pressure and heart rate.