Four-in-one pill created to reduce heart disease and strokes saves lives, study shows

A four-in-one pill created to reduce heart disease and strokes could help older people avoid taking so much medication.

Scientists have speculated that a ‘polypill’ could replace the plethora of drugs needed by pensioners, but so far there have been no studies to suggest they are as effective as individual medicine.

Now new research, published in The Lancet, has shown that a pill combining aspirin, statins and two cholesterol-lowering drugs, reduced the risk of major cardiovascular disease by 34 per cent.

The trial by Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran, involved 6,841 people aged 55 and over who were living in 236 villages in northern Iran.

The villages were randomly divided into two groups, with one made up of 3,417 participants who were given general advice on diet, exercise and smoking.

The second group, containing 3,421 people, was given the same advice, but were also required to take a polypill each day.

After five years, 202 people in the group that took the combination pill had suffered a heart attack or a stroke, compared with 301 in villages where only lifestyle advice was given.

Professor Neil Thomas, from the University of Birmingham, who was involved in the research, said: “Previously there had been concerns as to whether a polypill would be effective in those who had not already had cardiovascular disease, but this study shows that, in high-risk populations as in Iran, this approach is effective in preventing first and subsequent cardiovascular disease.”

Professor Reza Malekzadeh, of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, said: “Our research has shown a polypill prevents heart disease in a developing country and is an important step forward in preventing heart disease.”

The idea of combining several drugs in a single pill - the polypill - was originally proposed in 2001.

Since then, several small, short-term studies in a number of countries have shown that a polypill could reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels

However some participants complained of dizziness, muscle pains or indigestion; however, these issues were said to be as common in those not taking the pill.