Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG, AEX:PHI) has joined forces with AstraZeneca, Merck & Co., BG Medicine and Humana to form the High-Risk Plaque (HRP) Initiative to research and advance the understanding, recognition and management of high-risk plaque, the primary underlying cause of heart attacks.

The HRP Initiative aims to collaborate on the discovery and development of improved techniques for identifying individuals at risk for heart attacks and the advancement of methods to monitor disease progression and response to treatment. The companies said the HRP Initiative will leverage recent advances in biology and technology to design and optimize a care-cycle* for high-risk plaque. Its goal is to reduce morbidity, mortality and cost associated with cardiovascular disease.

"Philips' participation in the HRP Initiative builds on its leading position in cardiovascular imaging, informatics and cardiac monitoring. By combining biomarker characterization with quantitative imaging we strive to reach a more comprehensive understanding of the disease, to find it in asymptomatic patients and treat these patients before high-risk plaque manifests itself," said Diego Olego, Chief Technology Officer of Philips Medical Systems.
High-risk plaque is associated with the number one cause of death in the Western world. Heart attacks were previously attributed to the build up of cholesterol deposits in the vessel wall of the heart in patients with high blood cholesterol. These deposits were believed to cause a gradual narrowing of the coronary arteries and eventually, blockage. Pathologists have reported for decades that many patients who died of heart attacks had only minor build up and no narrowing of the coronary arteries; instead, a quickly forming thrombus (blood clot) had formed over a disrupted plaque and blocked the artery.

Looking for an explanation of this phenomenon researchers have reported over the past five years that in addition to cholesterol deposits plaque in the coronary and carotid arteries also showed inflammation. The inflamed plaque can suddenly rupture and cause thrombosis. Such plaques are today known as high-risk plaques. This rupture of a high-risk plaque in a coronary artery without flow obstruction explains why 70-85 percent of heart attacks occur in people who were without any pre-existing complaints and presumed healthy.

Valentin Fuster, M.D., Ph.D., chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board for the HRP Initiative commented, "The HRP Initiative is expected to make important contributions to the development of a cost-effective care-cycle for this common condition that is responsible for much suffering, disability and death in the world. The HRP Initiative covers a broad spectrum of pertinent issues, from molecular markers to the role of lifestyle interventions." Dr. Fuster is a leading international cardiologist who serves as director of the Zena and Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute and the Marie-Josee and Henry R. Kravis Center for Cardiovascular Health and Director of Mount Sinai Heart, New York City, New York.

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