Multi-drug 'polypill' finally to tackle heart problems

Tests of a single, cheap tablet combining a range of drugs that protect against heart disease and stroke have begun.

The "polypill" was mooted years ago as a cheap way to slash deaths from the big killer diseases, but pharmaceutical companies were reluctant to take on the project as the inexpensive drugs involved provided no financial incentive.

Now a team funded by the Wellcome Trust in London, UK, and the British Heart Foundation, and led by Anthony Rodgers at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, has begun recruiting 700 volunteers in six countries for a pilot trial of a polypill manufactured by Dr Reddy's of Hyderabad, India.

Their Red Heart Pill, which costs just $1 for a month's supply, blends blood-thinning aspirin, a cholesterol-lowering statin, and an ACE inhibitor and a thiazide to lower blood pressure. Trials in thousands of people could start next year.

The polypill is aimed at reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke in poor and rich countries alike. However, its use will vary around the world, says Simon Thom of Imperial College London, who is running the UK trials.

In the developing world, he advocates distributing the pill "almost blind" to everyone over 55. But countries where people have better access to doctors and drugs are unlikely to adopt the one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, over-55s could be put on one of several different polypills containing varying doses of the drugs, depending on their health needs.