Commercial cards represent the fastest-growing segment of the Western European payment card market, according to a new report from independent market analyst Datamonitor. The value of transactions carried out on commercial payment cards in Western Europe reached EURO87.1 billion in 2006, and is forecast to grow to EURO180.3 billion in 2011.
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The ageing population and growing risk factors have made a significant impact on driving up the number of registered heart failure cases. Existing pharmacological strategies are improving the survival rates of acute and early-stage heart failure patients, ironically providing a growing body of patients with progression of the disease to heart failure. With no new drug therapies addressing advanced heart failure and existing pharmacological strategies failing to compensate for a weakening heart, alternative solutions have to be found. In view of long waiting lists for heart transplantation and the growing lack of donor hearts, significant numbers of patients die while waiting for a heart transplant. But cardiac resynchronization therapy, mechanical circulatory support devices and other alternative technologies have demonstrated promising results, and the continuing rapid technological developments in this area suggest we may only be a decade away from eliminating the reliance on heart transplantation, according to a new cardiologic report by independent market analyst Datamonitor.   
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Although the inhaled delivery of drugs has major advantages over other methods of administration, inhaler devices are often difficult to use and can indirectly have a negative impact on symptom control. Unfortunately, in a classic catch-22 situation, those devices that are developed to overcome the disadvantages of the majority of inhalers often lack broad availability across different therapeutic molecules and drug classes. Offering physicians and patients a range of therapies in the same type of device will therefore improve proper use of inhalers, which can indirectly have a positive impact on the control of diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a new report by independent market analyst Datamonitor.
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