The cardiovascular research crisis and what to do about it

With reference to Batterham and colleagues,1 we applaud the call to better align research funding to disease burden. We also address this shortfall in the leading killer: cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The federal government deserves praise for establishing the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), doubling funding by 2023. This augurs well for the future, but right now, we face an interregnum while the MRFF builds and the National Health and Medical Research Council funding flatlines.

Every year, CVD claims the lives of 45 093 Australians,1 accounting for more than one in three deaths. The direct cost of caring for people with CVD in 2008–09 was $7.7 billion per year (or 12% of the total health budget),2 making it the costliest disease group of all. With the current budget at over $120 billion per annum,3 and assuming that CVD continues to cost 10–12% of the health budget, it is likely that the current cost is well over $12 billion per annum.3 The most recent data show that CVD deaths increased for the first time in 4 decades in men aged 55–64 years,3 an increase associated with the rising rates of obesity and diabetes.3 This reflects the unanswered questions related to heart health, which are ripe for exploration.

Meanwhile CVD research is funded substantially less than the equivalent disease burden of cancer, receiving about 13.5% — cumulative frequency of about 22% — of the National Health and Medical Research Council total funding between 2008 and 2014.4 A clear consequence is that CVD research suffers from brain drain, as emerging researchers seek sectors where funding is more available. This workforce crisis was highlighted by a recent Australian Cardiovascular Alliance survey, where 65% of CVD researchers say they would leave the sector if funding is not secured. Australian CVD research is of international standing, providing the highest returns of any disease group on research investment, an extraordinary $8 in health benefits for every $1 spent.4,5 The need for a committed workforce skilled in heart research is clear.

Funds from the MRFF must be invested in research that reflects the health priorities and disease burden facing the nation, particularly where the market is failing. Such research is an investment not a cost. In 2017, the Heart Foundation will boost research investment by an additional $9.3 million. While substantial for the only major health charity supporting heart research, this is a drop in the ocean to what is needed.

Proportionate investment will ensure that the great legacy of cardiovascular research in Australia is retained.