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The pill combines four cholesterol and blood pressure medications, and when taken with a low dose of aspirin, it reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart-related deaths by one third, shows the international study.
It was presented to the American Heart Association on Friday and is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study is expected to lead to increased use of so-called polyps, which researchers have believed for decades to be the solution to the problem of heart disease, which is the world’s leading cause of death.
These polyps are already on sale in the United States and in several European countries, but they are not used frequently. Doctors have objected to this because there are few large international studies showing that they can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
– I think this will change with our results, says Salim Yusuf, one of the researchers behind the study.
Cheap pill
The effect of polyps has been previously shown in several smaller studies, which are also being analyzed in Norway. The large international study now being published is “the best database we’ve received yet” on polyps, says Eugene Yang, a cardiologist at the University of Washington, who was not involved in the study.
The pill that has now been tested is Polycap, which has three blood pressure medications with the active ingredients atenolol, ramipril, and hydrochlorothiazide and a statin, which is used to treat high cholesterol.
The pill sells for just over three crowns per pill on the Indian market.
The study involved more than 5,700 people in India, the Philippines, Colombia, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Tanzania, and Tunisia. All of those who participated were at moderate risk for heart problems due to high blood pressure, diabetes, or other diagnoses.
– It can have a huge meaning
After four years of testing, the combination of the polyps pill and aspirin was shown to reduce the risk of heart problems by 31 percent. According to the study, the side effects were minimal.
– We now have clear evidence from several studies with consistent results and no safety risksays Anushka Patel, a cardiologist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. He also did not participate in the study.
– The importance this can have for public health can be enormous, concludes.
The researchers now hope that, among other things, the World Health Organization will now advocate the use of polyps in the treatment of heart problems.
