Once-a-day heart combo pill shows promise in study

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A single daily pill that combines aspirin and four blood pressure and cholesterol medicines has passed its first big test, potentially offering a cheap, simple way to prevent both heart disease and stroke.

The experimental “polypill” proved as effective as nearly all of its components taken alone, with no greater side effects, a major study found. Taking it could cut a person’s risk of heart disease and stroke roughly in half, the study concludes.

This “one-size-fits-most” approach could make heart disease prevention much more common and effective, doctors say.

The study was led by Dr. Salim Yusuf of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and Dr. Prem Pais of St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, India. Results were presented Monday at the cardiology college’s conference in Florida and published online by the British medical journal Lancet.

The study tested the Polycap, an experimental combo formulated by Cadila Pharmaceuticals of Ahmedabad, India. It contains low doses of three blood pressure medicines (atenolol, ramipril and the “water pill” thiazide), plus the generic version of the cholesterol-lowering statin drug Zocor, and a baby aspirin (100 milligrams).

Participants were about 2,000 people at 50 centers across India, average age 54, with at least one risk factor for heart disease — high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes or smoking.

Four hundred were given the polypill. The rest were placed in eight groups of 200 and given individual components of the pill or combinations. Treatment lasted 12 weeks.

Compared with groups given no blood pressure medicines, the polypill lowered systolic blood pressure (the top number) by more than 7 units and diastolic (bottom number) by about 6 — comparable to levels for people given the three drugs without aspirin and the cholesterol drug.

LDL, or bad cholesterol, dropped 23 percent on the polypill versus 28 percent in those taking the statin drug separately.