OUR THERAPEUTIC AREAS
Our medicines fit into 4 therapeutic areas – Cardiometabolism (Cardiovascular & Diabetes), Venous diseases, Neuroscience & Immuno-inflammation and Oncology.
At Servier our primary focus is and always will be researching, developing, and fine-tuning innovative medicines.
For nearly 50 years our medicines have been the fruits of our R&D labor. Over the past decade, we have also been forging agreements with other companies to access novel treatments.
CARDIOMETABOLISM
(Cardiovascular & Diabetes)
Cardiovascular diseases are ranked as the third commonest cause of death in Hong Kong and the leading cause of death worldwide1,2. Faced with this public health challenge, Servier is committed to cardiovascular disease research and development for the past 60 years.
Arterial hypertension is a chronic illness that affects almost 30% of the population in Hong Kong3. Hypertension may not cause symptoms until complications develop, which is why it is considered a “silent killer.” If blood pressure remains elevated over time, serious health problems may result, including cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and renal diseases, and even death. Early diagnosis and proper management can help prevent these complications.
Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscles and is a symptom of coronary artery disease. It is often described as squeezing, pressure, heaviness, tightness, or pain in the chest. The type of angina depends on the cause and whether rest or medications alleviate symptoms, with stable angina being the most common form. It typically lasts for a short time and goes away with rest and/or anti-anginal medications.
Heart failure means the heart muscle cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. This is caused by abnormalities in the structure and/or function of the heart. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, wheezing, persistent cough, fatigue, palpitations, edema of the lower limbs, and weight gain. The current prevalence of heart failure in Hong Kong is approximately 1.2% (around 89,000 patients)4. Heart failure should never be ignored because it can be life-threatening; more than 50% of patients die within five years of diagnosis4. In Hong Kong, more than 15,000 people need to be hospitalized for treatment due to heart failure every year, placing a heavy burden on the medical service system5.
Since heart failure is a chronic disease and cannot be completely cured, correct and timely lifestyle adjustments and drug treatment can help reduce mortality and complications, and improve symptoms and quality of life.
VENOUS DISEASES
Venous diseases are caused by damage to the venous system, whose function is to return blood to the heart.
Overall, 8 out of 10 6 people suffer from symptoms of chronic venous disease such as heavy and/or painful legs, night cramps and even venous oedema or ulcers.
Hemorrhoidal disease can also be traced back to an alteration in the venous system.
Servier is a pioneer in the treatment of these pathologies, with its naturally-derived active ingredient based on flavonoid-rich immature oranges.
NEUROSCIENCES & IMMUNO-INFLAMMATION
Depression and Anxiety are very common mood disorders, associated with considerable suffering for sufferers and those around them, and generating considerable handicaps in daily life, social life and professional life.
Depression goes hand in hand not only with a significant decline in social relationships, but also with a feeling of loss of support from those around them – and above all with a strong sense of loneliness and exclusion.
Servier is concentrating its efforts on the drug offer capable of acting on several depressive and anxiety symptoms at once, to help patients returning to an active life.
In the field of neuroscience, Servier focuses its research on neurodegenerative diseases.
ONCOLOGY
According to the latest region-wide statistical data, cancer is the leading cause of death in Hong Kong. In 2022, cancer claimed 14,717 lives, accounting for about one-fourth of all deaths in the local population7. To address this urgent need and to give people affected by cancer hope through innovative therapeutic solutions, Servier has made oncology one of its foremost priorities. In line with this commitment, 70% of the Group’s overall R&D budget is now allocated to research into cancer treatments.
Servier is striving to become a renowned and innovative player in the treatment of difficult-to-treat cancers. In the local context, we are focusing on gastrointestinal cancers (pancreatic cancer and bile duct cancer), haematological malignancies (acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia) as well as brain tumours.
1 Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health – Heart Diseases. Centre for Health Protection. https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/healthtopics/content/25/57.html
2 World Health Organization. The top 10 causes of death. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death
3 The Population Health Survey 2020-22. https://www.elderly.gov.hk/english/health_information/hypertension_heart_disease/hypertension.html
4 YY Katherine Fan, et al. Korean J Transplant 2022;36:267-277 https://doi.org/10.4285/kjt.22.0038
5 Tables on Health Status and Health Services 2022. Department of Health. https://www.dh.gov.hk/english/pub_rec/pub_rec_lpoi/pub_rec_lpoi_thshs.html
6 Rabe E et al., Epidemiology of chronic venous disorders in geographically diverse populations: results from the Vein Consult Program, International Angiology (2012) 31(2):105-15.
7 Cancer Online Resource Hub, the Government of the HKSAR: https://www.cancer.gov.hk/en/hong_kong_cancer/overview_of_cancer_statistics_in_hong_kong.html