A CDU

Eucomed (Brussels, Belgium), the European medical technology trade association, has developed a computerized health economic model to explore the cost-effectiveness of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) as compared to traditional pharmaceutical treatment for heart failure. "Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Heart Failure A Model to Assess the Economic Value of this New Technology" was presented during the European Society of Cardiology Congress, held in Vienna, Austria, in late August and early September.

Eucomed said it worked for a year and a half with five major pacemaker manufacturers to develop the CRT model.

The economic model, which was developed on behalf of the Eucomed CRT Steering Committee, shows, for example, that in Germany average savings amount to EUR 3,300 per patient in the first year of treatment and that hospitalization days can be reduced by 90%. Besides the favorable economic outcome, patients undergoing CRT treatment also benefit from an improvement in quality of life, Eucomed said.

Noting that heart failure is one of the major causes of hospitalization in western countries and is the most frequent cardiovascular disease, the association said the model enables similar conclusions to be drawn for other European countries. Heart failure affects more than 5 million Europeans, with more than 600,000 new cases diagnosed in Europe each year.

Eucomed said that, despite improvements in pharmacotherapy, the standard of care for heart failure patients, heart failure "remains a disease with unacceptably high mortality rates, high rates of hospital admissions and poor quality of life."

With cardiac resynchronization therapy, delivered through an implanted pulse generator, the heart contracts at the proper time and in a coordinated fashion, the trade group said. And CRT can be combined with backup defibrillation when the patient is at risk of suffering sudden cardiac arrest.

Chief executive named for UK agency

The appointment of a chief executive for the UK's newly established Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was reported by the Department of Health late last month. Kent Woods, professor of therapeutics at the University of Leicester (Leicester, UK) and director of the National Health Service's Health Technology Assessment Program, will take over as head of the agency Jan. 1.

The MHRA was established this past April from a merger of the Medicines Control Agency and the Medical Devices Agency. Like its predecessors, the new organization is an executive agency of the Department of Health. The MHRA is responsible for the regulation and safety of medicines and healthcare products. Its primary objective is to protect public health by taking all possible steps to ensure that medicines, healthcare products and medical equipment are safe for those who use them.

Woods said the merging of the Medicines Control Agency and the Medical Devices Agency "brings a wealth of expertise to the evaluation of new therapeutic technologies. The agency is well placed to build on the international reputation of its predecessors. It will have a central role at the intersection of innovation, clinical practice and public health."

Special-interest GP program grows

The UK Department of Health said there are now more than 1,000 general practitioners (GPs) with a special interest in treating patients in England. That achieves a target set in the NHS Plan one year ahead of schedule. Health Minister Rosie Winterton said new figures show some 1,250 such National Health Service GPs are taking referrals from fellow GPs in areas such as cardiology, dermatology and ear, nose and throat surgery. She said more patients thus can be treated for complaints in specialist areas without having to visit a consultant in hospital, offering patients improved access and healthcare often nearer their homes.

"Where GPs with special interests are working, patients are seeing real benefits," Winterton said. "Waiting times are reduced and patients are able to receive treatment traditionally only available in hospitals." She added: "Developing these new roles for GPs and for nurses and other healthcare professionals too will help the NHS provide a more convenient and efficient service to the public, while GPs who wish to are able to extend their skills."

Dr. David Colin-Thome, national clinical director for primary care, said, "All of these GPs, soon to be joined by increasing numbers of nurses and other professionals who have special clinical interests, bring their generalist all-round and holistic skills to specialist services. This improves working between the hospital and primary care, ensuring patients get a more integrated and responsive service."

Typically, a GP with special interests will undertake two sessions per week in his or her specialty. One example was given of a specialist GP in cardiology at the Wallasey Heart Center who is performing twice-weekly patient assessments. As a result, waiting times have been reduced from six months to six weeks.