Menarini brings Nobel Prize Medicine awardee to Manila

MANILA, Philippines - In line with its commitment to enhance the quality of cardiovascular disease management in the country, A. Menarini Philippines has arranged for a Nobel Prize-winning scientist to visit Manila and share his expertise with local cardiologists.

Prof. Louis Ignarro is speaking during the three-day 44th annual convention of the Philippine Heart Association (PHA), which ends tomorrow at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City. His talk will be viewed simultaneously via live streaming by PHA members in Baguio, Pampanga, Batangas and Davao.

A professor of pharmacology at the UCLA School of Medicine in California, Ignarro received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998 for his discovery that nitric oxide is produced in the blood vessels and controls the flow of blood by signaling the vessels to expand and contract.

“By causing blood vessels to widen, nitric oxide improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure,” Ignarro said.

With the theme “PHA@60: Strategies, Realities and Networks,” this year’s PHA annual convention coincides with the association’s 60th anniversary and aims to equip Filipino cardiologists and physicians with the latest updates and innovations in cardiovascular medicine.

“We are honored to have Prof. Ignarro as a speaker in our annual convention. His extensive research on cardiovascular health and discovery of the role of nitric oxide have contributed significantly to the effective treatment of cardiovascular diseases,” said PHA president Dr. Saturnino Javier.

“Prof. Ignarro’s groundbreaking discovery of nitric oxide’s role in cardiovascular health paved the way for the development of effective treatments against hypertension. Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the country,” said Dr. Dante Morales, senior vice president for medical affairs of Manila Doctors Hospital.

“Congratulations to the PHA on its 60th anniversary. We fully support the association’s noble mission to ensure accessible, affordable and quality cardiovascular care for every Filipino,” said Ninia Torres, general manager of A. Menarini Philippines, the local affiliate of Italy’s leading research-based pharmaceutical company, the Menarini Group. 

“Menarini is committed to working with Filipino physicians in reducing the burden of hypertension in the Philippines,” said John Graham, chief executive officer of A. Menarini Asia-Pacific.

Menarini recently introduced nebivolol in the Philippines. Nebivolol is the only beta blocker known to induce vascular production of nitric oxide.

Available in Europe since 1999, nebivolol is indicated for the treatment of essential hypertension and mild and moderate chronic heart failure in addition to standard therapies in elderly patients.