Miracle pill set to save the lives of thousands
Published: May 6, 2005
A miracle pill which combines different heart drugs is set to save thousands of lives.
A new study revealed the so-called “polypill” could extend the life of people with a history of heart disease by up to 20 years.
The pill, which may cost less than a pound a day and cause minimal side effects, could also be given to people with existing high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes to prevent them suffering further ill health.
A team from the University of Nottingham followed more than 13,000 patients who were diagnosed with heart disease between 1996 and 2003, comparing the effects of different combinations of drugs. The best results were seen with a combination of the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, aspirin and beta-blockers - a type of blood pressure-lowering drug. The combination resulted in an 83 per cent reduction in deaths.
Belinda Linden, head of medical information at the British Heart Foundation, said: “The research presents a strong argument for giving a combination of existing medicines for some people who may already have heart and circulatory disease - although most of these patients are already taking at least one or more of these medicines.
“However, sometimes cohort studies like this are affected by difficulties in following up patients or choosing the appropriate control group.
“Therefore, as with any new treatment, randomised, controlled trials are still needed to support these new findings.”
She added: “There is no doubt that the idea of combining three or four medicines together would make them easier to take.
“But whether we like it or not, the rising tide of obesity and inactivity cannot be ignored and advances in medicines should not be a licence for people to continue to lead unhealthy lifestyles.”
The Stroke Association has urged major funding bodies and the NHS to support future trials.
Researchers behind the polypill claimed two years ago it could have “a greater impact on the prevention of disease in the Western world than any other intervention”.
The latest findings on the treatment are published in the British Medical Journal.
They followed what happened to 13,029 GP patients who were diagnosed with heart disease and were taking different combinations of these drugs over seven years. Overall, 2266 patients died by the end of the study. While the polypill of statins, aspirin and beta-blockers improved survival the most, single therapies - beta-blockers alone or ACE inhibitors alone - conferred the least benefit, cutting death risk by only about 20 per cent. Because the study only looked at patients with heart disease, the researchers said their results should not be taken to mean all people aged over 55 should be given a polypill.
But Professor Nicholas Wald, of the Wolson Institute of Preventative Medicine, said there was no reason why a similar preventive effect should not be seen when the combination was used as a treatment before disease is present.
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