Polypills—single pills that contain a low-cost blood pressure medication, a statin and aspirin—could potentially save millions of lives each year. So why are they not being prescribed more throughout the world? Two leading cardiologists asked that very question in a new editorial, noting that polypills have consistently been associated with reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Cardiologists Fausto Pinto, MD, PhD, president of the World Heart Federation, and Salim Yusuf, MD, BS, DPhil, professor emeritus of medicine at McMaster University, wrote the editorial, which was published in The Lancet.[1]
Pinto and Yusuf highlighted the devastating impact of CVD in their editorial, writing that it is responsible for approximately 18 million deaths each and every year.
“These diseases are widespread and demand global, population-wide action, but the approach to their control has been based on individualized treatment plans, leaving the majority of people at risk neglected,” the two authors wrote.
Pinto and Yusuf also wrote that the primary prevention of heart attacks and strokes is crucial. While secondary prevention is also important, they explained, primary prevention is how you can save the lives of people who have no prior history of CVD. Just waiting for those patients to experience a potentially fatal adverse event is not an effective solution.
“Despite substantial scientific evidence of the high effectiveness, safety and affordability of the polypill, few such combined products are available, and in the few countries where they are available, use is low,” Pinto said in a prepared statement from McMaster University.
“This systemic failure is a global tragedy, as many premature deaths from CVD could be avoided,” Yusuf added in the same statement.
The two authors presented some strategies for increasing the availability of polypills in their editorial. For example, they suggested that large pharmaceutical companies should be encouraged to invest more in the development and testing of these polypills. Including polypills in the World Health Organization’s Essential Medicines List was another recommendation.
“It is time to use the polypill widely to save millions of lives each year,” Pinto said.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.