Bayer announces launch of innovative heart health screening tool in Saudi Arabia

German firm Bayer, a leading global life sciences company, and London-based Huma Therapeutics, a leading global digital health company, have announced the launch of their innovative heart health screening tool in Saudi Arabia.

This marks the first global launch since the Bayer Aspirin Heart Health Risk Assessment went live in the US in 2023, and is aimed at supporting key objectives of the Vision 2030 national strategy for Saudi Arabia.

The Bayer Aspirin Heart Health Risk Assessment is a digital-only tool that rapidly evaluates an individual's risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) over the next decade, without the need for invasive blood tests and blood pressure measurement.

Huma developed the algorithm by leveraging 15+ years of longitudinal data from over 500,000 individuals from the UK Biobank Dataset. Clinical validation of the algorithm in the European Society of Cardiology found that the Heart Health Risk Assessment had very good predictive ability when compared to the standard of care.

The launch of the Heart Risk Assessment in Saudi Arabia aligns with the country's Vision 2030 healthcare sector transformation strategy, which has made the reduction of the clinical and economic burden of cardiovascular disease a national priority. 

In addition to the Heart Health Risk Assessment, Huma and Bayer are separately supporting additional healthcare initiatives in Saudi Arabia in support of Vision 2030.

Huma has recently launched a diabetes care pathway within the Seha Virtual Hospital, an ambitious and innovative telemedicine platform launched by the Saudi Ministry of Health in order to expand care access and improve care delivery as part of the Vision 2030 objectives. Bayer has committed to screening 1,000,000 citizens who might be at risk to develop cardiovascular disease as part of the 'Protect Your Heart' campaign in partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Health.

The launch of the Heart Health Risk Assessment tool also aligns with the recently introduced Biotechnology Strategy of Saudi Arabia. This strategy aims to leverage advanced technologies, such as digital health tools, to improve healthcare outcomes and foster innovation in the country's healthcare sector.