UK scientists call for Government to prioritise cardiovascular disease

The letter, signed by 69 clinical and research experts and sent to Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle MP, warns that premature deaths from CVD are rising, and that the condition remains significantly underfunded compared to its impact on individuals and society. 

 

The signatories – many of whom have become global leaders in their fields following decades of funding from us – say prioritising cardiovascular research is key to the Government’s pledge to tackle preventable deaths in the UK and unlock economic growth. 

Putting cardiovascular disease at the heart of the Life Sciences Plan will help to tackle one of the UK's biggest killers and the health inequalities it creates, helping people live longer and healthier lives whilst boosting Government’s growth agenda by attracting research and valuable economic investment to the UK. 

 

Our new analysis reveals that the nation’s heart health declined more quickly at the start of the 2020s than in any other decade for over 50 years. Deaths in working-age adults in the UK rose by 18 per cent, from 18,693 in 2019, to 21,975 in 2023, averaging 420 a week.  

 

Last year we also warned that research funding for cardiovascular disease faces a shortfall of more than a quarter of a billion pounds between 2025 and 2035, threatening future breakthroughs. 

 

The letter calls for Government support to enable collaboration between charities, universities and industry, so that more public and private investment can be drawn in to cardiovascular research. 

Professor Bryan Williams, our Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, said: “Research is key to unlocking future tests, treatments and cures for heart patients, so it is vital that CVD is prioritised in the Government’s upcoming Life Sciences Plan. 

 

“The past 60 years have been a story of progress in driving down premature deaths from heart disease, thanks in large part to research. So it is alarming that this trend is now going into reverse, and that we are seeing the first sustained rise in working-age deaths in at least a generation. 

 

“BHF is the biggest independent CVD research funder in the UK, and has powered many past treatment breakthroughs, but we can’t turn the tide alone. We need Government support to collaborate with researchers, industry and charities, in order to fund the people, technology and medicines that can save lives.”