Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. What if there was one tablet that could reduce heart disease by 80%. Too good to be true?
The concept of the “polypill” was first published in 2003 when Wald and Law conducted a theoretical projection analysis of a single pill which contained six drugs. That polypill comprised of three anti-hypertensives at half dose (thiazide, beta blocker and ACE inhibitor), plus aspirin, a statin and folic acid. The predicted benefit from this analysis was an 88% reduction in ischaemic heart disease events and an 80% reduction in stroke.
A year earlier Yusuf had proposed a similar combination but without the catchy name: the predicted benefit of this four-drug combination was a 75% reduction of cumulative risk of CVD events when used for secondary prevention.
The complete RGH E-Bulletin can be downloaded here
Compare this article to the Kanyini Vascular Collaboration which also includes a polypill trial.
The Bulletin is a joint initiative of the Patient Services Section and the Drug and Therapeutics Information Service of the Pharmacy Department, Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park, South Australia. The RGH Pharmacy E-Bulletin is distributed in electronic format on a weekly basis, and aims to present concise, factual information on issues of current interest in therapeutics, drug safety and cost-effective use of medications.
Editor: Assoc. Prof. Chris Alderman, University of South Australia – Director of Pharmacy, RGH © Pharmacy Department, Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park, South Australia 5041
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