Transforming Cardiovascular Care in the EU: Interactive Insights for Policy Action

Addressing cardiovascular disease (CVD) is crucial for strengthening healthcare systems and economic stability across Europe.

Burden of Cardiovascular Disease

CVD is the leading cause of death in the European Union (EU), causing 5,000 deaths every day. Despite being largely preventable or manageable with proper interventions, CVD remains highly prevalent, with 13 million new cases of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, heart failure and other conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels diagnosed annually in the EU. It significantly impacts people’s quality of life, especially during their working years. In the EU, 24% of deaths among men before age 65, and 17% of deaths among women before age 65, are due to CVD. This leads to productivity and income losses, as well as increased reliance on family and societal support. In 2021, CVD cost the EU economy €282 billion.

Policy Responses and Initiatives

Due to consistent multistakeholder efforts – such as the European Alliance for Cardiovascular Health (EACH) which calls for a comprehensive EU policy response to improve the cardiovascular health of European citizens – there is a growing recognition among EU policymakers of the urgent need to reduce the burden of CVD.

For instance, the recent Council Conclusions on improving cardiovascular health (CVH) in the EU, adopted by the EPSCO Council in December 2024, is a major milestone towards that direction, calling for specific actions from both the European Commission and the EU Member States to prioritise CVH measures and scale up prevention policies such as evidence-based cardiovascular health checks.

Interactive CVD Dashboard

To help guide ongoing policy conversations, Amgen recently launched an interactive dashboard that showcases the clinical and economic burden of CVD and the policy landscape in 22 EU countries. The tool enables cross-country comparison to better understand:

CVD costs across countries to identify economic impacts and cost reduction opportunities.
Burden of CVD on healthcare systems, including prevalence, incidence, and mortality rates.
Government efforts against CVD, showing policy effectiveness and potential areas for policy development.
Healthcare system readiness, including resource availability, accessibility, and quality of care.

Users can compare key performance indicators (KPIs) like mortality rates, healthcare expenditure, and preventive measures, as well as visualise data to spot trends and improvement areas. For instance, although all 22 countries featured in the dashboard have adopted either a Cancer Control Plan or a cancer dedicated programme, only four – Spain, Poland, Czechia and Portugal – have adopted a comprehensive national Cardiovascular Health Plan.

Explore the interactive dashboard now to gain actionable insights.

Amgen’s CVD Dashboard underscores the critical importance that EU countries act on CVD now, by developing and implementing national cardiovascular health strategies, with a special focus on long-term prevention policies, including:

National cardiovascular health plans, which should include identification of risk factors and screening programmes;
Common metrics and targets for cardiovascular outcomes along with well-defined pathways to assist patients in achieving their targets; and
More effective financing methods to ensure that resources are allocated appropriately within national healthcare systems

Amgen stands firmly committed to supporting the mission to advance screening and early detection, diagnosis and appropriate treatment of CVD, recognising that proactive management, particularly in secondary prevention, is essential to improving patient lives and reducing healthcare costs.