Global opportunities
Cardiometabolic diseases are among the most serious global public health issues today, with metabolic risk factors among the leading drivers of both global mortality and the global burden of disease.
The understanding of those diseases, risk factors and the underlying biology has led to the development and approval of breakthrough new drugs with novel mechanisms of action in the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases.
Unmet Need in Cardiometabolic Diseases
Cardiometabolic disease describes a spectrum of conditions beginning with insulin resistance, progressing to the metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, and finally to more severe conditions including cardiovascular disease (CVD) such as hypertension and stroke, and metabolic diseases such as Chronical Kidney Diseases, NAFLD, NASH and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). These conditions are grouped under the umbrella term “cardiometabolic disease” as they are related or share risk factors, such as overweight and obesity, dyslipidemia, and high blood pressure.
Treatment for cardiometabolic diseases represents a sizeable global market worth $264 billion in 2022. Its growth is expected to continue over the next 5 years at the historical 5-year CAGR (2017-2022) of 7% to reach $370 billion globally by 2027.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally, taking an estimated 20 million lives each year. More than four out of five CVD deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes, and over 20% of cardiometabolic deaths occurred in people under 65 years of age.
Meanwhile, the global prevalence of obesity, defined as having a BMI equal to or greater than 30kg/m2, has tripled since the mid-1970s, with over 1 billion people suffering from obesity today. Each year, more than 3 million people die due to complications from overweight or obesity. In the U.S., more than 40% of the population are considered obese. Once associated only with high-income countries, obesity has grown in prevalence in low-and middle-income countries, thus fast evolving into a global health issue.
When the overweight population is included, i.e. those having a BMI equal to or greater than 25 kg/m2 but less than 30 kg/m2, prevalence is expected to grow to 4 billion by 2035. This dramatic trend has a huge economic impact, estimated at $4 trillion in 2035 or 2.9% of global GDP, as a result of higher healthcare cost and lost economic productivity.
Reference:
IQVIA - A Renaissance for Cardiometabolic Innovation 2023
World Health Organization (WHO) Cardiovascular Diseases https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds)
World Health Organization (WHO) Obesity and Overweight.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
Vaduganathan M et al., The Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risk; J Am Coll Cardiol., Dec. 2022;
Woodruff R. et al, Trends in Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Rates and Excess Deaths, 2010−2022 Am. J. Prev. Med. 2024;
IHME, Global Burden of Disease (2024)
Samuel D. Emmerich et al., Obesity and Severe Obesity Prevalence in Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023; NCHS Data Brief, No. 508, September 2024
World Heart Report, 2023: CONFRONTING THE WORLD'S NUMBER ONE KILLER, World Heart Federation.
CVD
Cancer
