Bupa, Australia’s largest health insurer, has injected $18 million to George Health Enterprises, the commercial arm of The George Institute for Global Health, to support the development of pioneering polypill treatments for high blood pressure and heart disease.
Bupa’s $18 million investment, part of a combined $53 million contributed by two other investors, will allow two super pills, which have already been successfully trialled by the George Institute, to reach patients in Australia and globally within the next five years.
The super pills include a low dose, triple pill approach that has been shown to outperform traditional high blood pressure treatments without additional side effects, and a four-in-one pill that has led to a 40% increase in patients who have suffered a heart attack or stroke sticking to their life-saving treatments.
Dwayne Crombie, Bupa’s managing director of health insurance, said the investment was not a health insurance-related decision, but rather a commitment to innovative new models of care for better health outcomes.
“Our purpose at Bupa is to help people live longer, healthier, happier lives,” Crombie said. “This investment will make a real difference to the healthcare outcomes for millions of people, both in Australia and around the world and is another way we can bring that purpose to life. It’s an opportunity to support innovative thinking in the health sector which will ultimately improve medication compliance and availability for people with heart disease or high blood pressure.”
Stephen MacMahon, of The George Institute, said high blood pressure affects more than six million Australians each year and is also a leading risk factor for heart disease, which is the number-one killer in Australia.
