World Stroke Organization and Philips call for action to expand access to life-saving stroke care
Philips (NYSE: PHG) and the World Stroke Organization (WSO) have published a joint policy paper calling for a revolution in stroke care. The paper proposes six policy interventions to improve outcomes and reduce costs in stroke treatment. Key recommendations include expanding infrastructure for essential stroke services and mechanical thrombectomy, a highly effective minimally invasive procedure for removing blood clots in major strokes.
The paper highlights that stroke affects an estimated 12 million people globally each year, with direct and indirect costs around $900 billion annually. Despite proven treatments like mechanical thrombectomy, access remains For instance, only about 7% of ischemic stroke patients in Europe received this treatment in 2019.
The initiative aims to address the significant burden of stroke on patients, healthcare systems, and society by promoting coordinated investment in care, treatment, infrastructure, and effective policymaking.
Philips (NYSE: PHG) e la World Stroke Organization (WSO) hanno pubblicato un documento di politica congiunta che chiede una rivoluzione nella cura dell'ictus. Il documento propone sei interventi politici per migliorare i risultati e ridurre i costi nel trattamento dell'ictus. Le raccomandazioni principali includono l'espansione delle infrastrutture per servizi essenziali per l'ictus e la trombectomia meccanica, una procedura mininvasiva altamente efficace per rimuovere i coaguli di sangue negli ictus gravi.
Il documento evidenzia che l'ictus colpisce circa 12 milioni di persone a livello globale ogni anno, con costi diretti e indiretti intorno ai 900 miliardi di dollari all'anno. Nonostante i trattamenti provati come la trombectomia meccanica, l'accesso rimane limitato. Ad esempio, solo circa il 7% dei pazienti con ictus ischemico in Europa ha ricevuto questo trattamento nel 2019.
L'iniziativa mira a affrontare il significativo onere dell'ictus sui pazienti, sui sistemi sanitari e sulla società, promuovendo investimenti coordinati nella cura, nel trattamento, nell'infrastruttura e nella formulazione di politiche efficaci.
Philips (NYSE: PHG) y la World Stroke Organization (WSO) han publicado un documento de política conjunto que pide una revolución en la atención del accidente cerebrovascular. El documento propone seis intervenciones políticas para mejorar los resultados y reducir los costos en el tratamiento de accidentes cerebrovasculares. Las recomendaciones clave incluyen la expansión de la infraestructura para servicios esenciales para el accidente cerebrovascular y la trombectomía mecánica, un procedimiento mínimamente invasivo altamente efectivo para eliminar coágulos de sangre en accidentes cerebrovasculares graves.
El documento destaca que el accidente cerebrovascular afecta a un estimado de 12 millones de personas en todo el mundo cada año, con costos directos e indirectos de alrededor de 900 mil millones de dólares anuales. A pesar de tratamientos comprobados como la trombectomía mecánica, el acceso sigue siendo limitado. Por ejemplo, solo alrededor del 7% de los pacientes con accidente cerebrovascular isquémico en Europa recibieron este tratamiento en 2019.
La iniciativa busca abordar la carga significativa del accidente cerebrovascular en los pacientes, los sistemas de salud y la sociedad promoviendo una inversión coordinada en atención, tratamiento, infraestructura y formulación de políticas efectivas.
필립스 (NYSE: PHG)와 세계 뇌졸중 기구 (WSO)는 뇌졸중 치료의 혁신을 촉구하는 공동 정책 문서를 발표했습니다. 이 문서는 뇌졸중 치료의 결과 개선과 비용 절감을 위한 여섯 가지 정책 개입을 제안합니다. 주요 권장 사항에는 핵심 뇌졸중 서비스와 기계적 혈전 제거술의 인프라 확대가 포함되어 있습니다. 기계적 혈전 제거술은 주요 뇌졸중에서 혈전을 제거하기 위한 매우 효과적인 최소 침습 절차입니다.
이 문서는 매년 전 세계에서 약 1200만 명이 뇌졸중에 영향을 받으며 직접 및 간접 비용이 약 9000억 달러에 달한다고 강조합니다. 기계적 혈전 제거술과 같은 입증된 치료법에도 불구하고 접근성은 여전히 제한적입니다. 예를 들어, 2019년 유럽에서 허혈성 뇌졸중 환자의 약 7%만이 이 치료를 받았습니다.
이 이니셔티브는 환자, 의료 시스템 및 사회에 대한 뇌졸중의 중대한 부담을 해결하기 위해 치료, 인프라 및 효과적인 정책 결정에 대한 협조적인 투자를 촉진하는 것을 목표로 하고 있습니다.
Philips (NYSE: PHG) et la World Stroke Organization (WSO) ont publié un document de politique conjointe appelant à une révolution dans les soins aux AVC. Le document propose six interventions politiques pour améliorer les résultats et réduire les coûts dans le traitement des AVC. Parmi les recommandations clés figurent l'expansion des infrastructures pour des services essentiels pour les AVC et la thrombectomie mécanique, une procédure mini-invasive très efficace pour retirer les caillots sanguins lors de graves AVC.
Le document souligne que l'AVC touche environ 12 millions de personnes dans le monde chaque année, avec des coûts directs et indirects d'environ 900 milliards de dollars par an. Malgré des traitements éprouvés comme la thrombectomie mécanique, l'accès reste limité. Par exemple, en 2019, seuls environ 7 % des patients ayant subi un AVC ischémique en Europe ont reçu ce traitement.
L'initiative vise à traiter le fardeau considérable des AVC sur les patients, les systèmes de santé et la société en promouvant des investissements coordonnés dans les soins, les traitements, l'infrastructure et l'élaboration de politiques efficaces.
Philips (NYSE: PHG) und die World Stroke Organization (WSO) haben ein gemeinsames Politikpapier veröffentlicht, das eine Revolution in der Schlaganfallbehandlung fordert. Das Papier schlägt sechs politische Interventionen vor, um die Ergebnisse zu verbessern und die Kosten in der Schlaganfallbehandlung zu senken. Zu den wichtigen Empfehlungen gehört der Ausbau der Infrastruktur für essenzielle Schlaganfallsdienste und die mechanische Thrombektomie, ein hochwirksames minimalinvasives Verfahren zur Entfernung von Blutgerinnseln bei schweren Schlaganfällen.
Das Papier hebt hervor, dass jährlich ein geschätztes 12 Millionen Menschen weltweit von Schlaganfall betroffen sind, mit direkten und indirekten Kosten von rund 900 Milliarden Dollar pro Jahr. Trotz bewährter Behandlungen wie der mechanischen Thrombektomie bleibt der Zugang eingeschränkt. So erhielten beispielsweise im Jahr 2019 nur etwa 7% der Patienten mit ischämischem Schlaganfall in Europa diese Behandlung.
Die Initiative zielt darauf ab, die erhebliche Belastung durch Schlaganfälle für Patienten, Gesundheitssysteme und die Gesellschaft anzugehen, indem koordinierte Investitionen in Pflege, Behandlung, Infrastruktur und effektive politische Entscheidungsfindung gefördert werden.
- Partnership between Philips and World Stroke Organization to improve global stroke care
- Proposal of six policy interventions to enhance stroke treatment outcomes and reduce costs
- Potential for significant economic benefits and healthcare system savings through improved stroke care
- Current access to effective stroke treatments like mechanical thrombectomy
- High global burden of stroke with 12 million people affected annually
- Estimated $900 billion annual cost of stroke, expected to double in 25 years
September 10, 2024
- Joint policy paper provides recommendations for effective policymaking and investments in stroke centers with specialized treatments to improve health outcomes and reduce costs
- Timely access to mechanical thrombectomy – a proven minimally invasive therapy to remove the blood clot that caused the stroke – has the potential to revolutionize treatment for major ischemic strokes, but the procedure remains the exception rather than the norm
Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, and the World Stroke Organization (WSO), the world’s only global non-governmental organization focused on stroke, today published a policy paper calling for a revolution in stroke care to make a real difference to the lives of millions and bring significant economic benefits worldwide.
A stroke is typically an acute event, mostly caused by a blockage in a blood vessel in the brain that prevents adequate blood supply to brain tissue and leads to permanent loss of brain cells. It is a leading cause of disability and death worldwide, affecting an estimated 12 million people globally every year, including an increasing number of young people. The direct and indirect costs are conservatively estimated to be around USD 900 billion annually and are expected to almost double over the next 25 years.
Thanks to new technologies, procedures and clinical insights, stroke may be prevented, treated and even reversed if treatment is initiated rapidly. However, despite a strong evidence base, there is insufficient focus on healthcare expenditure and research funding to advance stroke care. As a result, access to timely treatment remains limited and huge disparities in stroke care persist.
The joint WSO-Philips policy paper, which is accompanied by an editorial in The Lancet Neurology and aligned with recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidance, proposes six policy interventions to improve outcomes, and reduce direct costs with substantial potential savings, releasing essential resources for other priorities across struggling healthcare systems:
1. Set targets and quality indicators, assess current gaps and prioritize stroke care in global, national, and regional health plans.
2. Expand and invest in infrastructures for essential stroke services, including stroke units and intravenous thrombolysis.*
3. Expand and invest in (capital) infrastructures for advanced stroke services: mechanical thrombectomy.**
4. Increase the necessary skills in the health workforce.
5. Make sure that payment models provide adequate reimbursement of essential and advanced stroke care.
6. Build a strategy to actualize the potential savings of essential and advanced acute stroke care.
The joint WSO-Philips policy paper entitled ‘Time for a revolution in stroke care’ can be downloaded here.
‘Time is brain’ is the mantra in stroke care, because every minute saved when treating a major stroke results in millions of saved brain cells. Investing in stroke centers and WHO recommended treatments including mechanical thrombectomy, a minimally invasive technique for removing the blood clot from the brain artery that caused the stroke, has the potential to improve hundreds of thousands of lives. Clinical trials show that mechanical thrombectomy is a highly effective treatment for the most debilitating strokes, and if treated in time, the impact is such that major strokes have become ‘curable’.
Yet, access to thrombectomy remains the exception rather than the norm in global stroke care. For example, an average of around
Professor Sheila Martins, President of the World Stroke Organization, said: “The impact of thrombolysis and thrombectomy on stroke patient outcomes has been established for more than a decade. More recent research has also demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of these treatments in low-income, middle-income and high-income countries. Investing in acute stroke care provides governments with an unmissable opportunity to reduce the burden of stroke to individuals and society and to deliver on their UN SDG3 commitment. The time to act is now.”
Carla Goulart Peron, Philips’ Chief Medical Officer, said: “Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The burden of stroke on patients, their families, the healthcare system, and society, is huge. The time is now for a coordinated approach to revolutionize stroke care, bringing together investment in care and treatment, infrastructure, awareness and a focus on effective policymaking. The benefits are significant, both for healthcare systems and societies, and most importantly in delivering better care for millions of patients worldwide.”
Philips and the WSO signed a two-year partnership in October 2023 focused on advocacy, education, and raising awareness of stroke as a global healthcare challenge. In May of this year, Philips supported the WSO side-event at the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) entitled United in Action to Transform Stroke Care, which was the first ever WHA satellite session dedicated specifically to stroke.
* In an essential stroke center, acute stroke care is provided by a multidisciplinary team working according to acute stroke care protocols. This includes intravenous thrombolysis, the injection of medication to dissolve the blood clot that caused the stroke. This is the current most common acute stroke treatment.
** An advanced stroke center offers all the services provided at essential stroke centers plus mechanical thrombectomy, a minimally invasive therapy for removing the blood clot that caused the stroke.
For further information, please contact:
Joost Maltha
Philips External Relations
Tel: +31 6 10558116
Email: joost.maltha@philips.com
About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips’ patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2023 sales of EUR 18.2 billion and employs approximately 68,700 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.
About the World Stroke Organization
The World Stroke Organization (WSO) is the world’s only global NGO with a sole focus on stroke. It is committed to reducing the global burden of stroke through advancing access to effective prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and support. WSO is a membership organization and represents over 50,000 stroke experts in every global region. WSO’s 100 Society Members represent international, regional and national scientific, medical and survivor organizations. WSO has United Nations ECOSOC accreditation and is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO). WSO works with its members and stakeholders to reduce the global burden of stroke, providing technical support and driving engagement of key decision-makers to advance implementation of effective systems of care.
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FAQ
What are the key recommendations in the Philips-WSO stroke care policy paper?
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What is the current rate of mechanical thrombectomy use in Europe for ischemic stroke patients, as mentioned in the Philips (PHG) press release?
What is the estimated annual cost of stroke according to the Philips (PHG) and WSO policy paper?
