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A universal drug for the prevention of heart disease has been successfully tested
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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A four-component drug for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases has been successfully tested on elderly Britons. As reported by EurekAlert!, the combined drug Polypill was tested by specialists from Queen Mary University of London at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. The researchers' article was published in the journal PLoS ONE.
Polypill is a combination drug that contains amlodipine (dilates blood vessels, lowers blood pressure), losaratan (antihypertensive drug), hydrochlorothiazide (a diuretic with hypotensive effect) and simvastatin (reduces cholesterol production by the liver).
The drug trials involved UK residents over 50 years of age who had no history of cardiovascular disease. Half of the participants took Polypill daily for three months, while the other half received a placebo.
According to the study results, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure indicators in those receiving the combination drug decreased by 12 and 11 percent, respectively, compared to the control group. The level of cholesterol in the blood of volunteers taking Polypill decreased by almost 40 percent.
The trial organisers noted that the results obtained correspond to preliminary theoretical calculations of the effectiveness of Polypill. One of the creators of the combination drug, Sir Nicholas Wald, added that prescribing the drug to half of all Britons over 50 years old would prevent about 94 thousand heart attacks and strokes per year.
In 2009, the Indian pharmaceutical company Cadila Healthcare tested a similar combination drug. However, the composition of Polycap differs from the British analogue - its components are hydrochlorothiazide, atenolol, ramipril, simvastatin and aspirin.
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