Polypill may be effective in some cases

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., March 22 (UPI) -- A polypill -- a single pill with multiple medications for cardiovascular disease -- may work best for patients in developing countries, U.S. researchers say.

Dr. Elsayed Z. Soliman of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., says the idea behind the polypill is that it offers a simpler way to give medications to people so they will be more likely to stick to their regimen.

"It's not always easy for people to consistently take multiple pills, even if they are needed to treat a serious condition, like cardiovascular disease," Soliman, the lead author, says in a statement. "This is especially true in developing countries, where cost of cardiovascular disease medications is another major challenge. This one pill has the potential to improve adherence while being less costly to the population in developing countries."

In a preliminary trial, the researchers enrolled 216 study participants in Sri Lanka without diagnosed cardiovascular disease. Half of the participants received "standard' treatment for cardiovascular disease risk prevention and the other half received the polypill. Ninety-four percent completed the program and returned for their follow-up visits and no safety concerns were reported, the researchers say.

The results, published in the journal Trials, suggest a high rate of patient acceptability, a finding bolstered by the fact a majority of patients who completed the trial -- 90 percent -- indicated they would take the polypill "for life" if proven to be effective in reducing cardiovascular disease risk.