Successfully tested universal drug for the prevention of heart disease
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Four-component medicine for the prevention of cardiovascular disease has been successfully tested in elderly Britons. As reported by EurekAlert !, tests of the combined preparation Polypill specialists of Queen Mary's University of London were conducted on the basis of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. The article is published in the journal PLoS ONE.
Polypill is a combination drug that includes amlodipine (dilates blood vessels, lowers blood pressure), losaratan (hypotensive drug), hydrochlorothiazide (a diuretic drug with an antihypertensive effect) and simvastatin (reduces the production of cholesterol by the liver).
In the trials of the drug involved residents of the United Kingdom over the age of 50, who had no cardiovascular disease. Within three months, half of the participants took Polypill daily, and the other part of the volunteers received a placebo.
According to the results of the study, the parameters of systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the treated patients compared to the control group decreased by 12 and 11 percent, respectively. The level of cholesterol in the blood of volunteers who took Polypill, declined by almost 40 percent.
The organizers of the tests noted that the results obtained are consistent with preliminary theoretical calculations of the effectiveness of Polypill. One of the creators of combined medicines Sir Nicholas Wald (Sir Nicholas Wald) added that the appointment of the drug to half of all Britons over 50 years old will prevent about 94 thousand heart attacks and strokes per year.
In 2009, a test of a similar combination drug was conducted by the Indian pharmaceutical company Cadila Healthcare. However, the composition of Polycap differs from the British analogue - its components are hydrochlorothiazide, atenolol, ramipril, simvastatin and aspirin.
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