[The polypill as cardiovascular prophylactic: clinical trials]

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pharmacology
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of mortality.
• A polypill, combining antihypertensives, statin, and aspirin, is proposed for widespread prophylaxis.
• This review examines clinical trials of the polypill strategy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing randomized clinical trials of the polypill.
• To assess the current evidence for the polypill's efficacy and safety.

Main Methods:

• Searched PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov for polypill studies up to June 2013.
• Included published, ongoing, and planned randomized clinical trials.
• Evaluated identified studies for relevance and findings.

Main Results:

• Six randomized clinical trials involving polypill variations were identified.
• Comparisons included placebo (3 trials) and active treatments (3 trials).
• Estimated risk reductions for ischemic heart disease (33-72%) and stroke (21-64%) were observed, based on blood pressure and cholesterol changes.

Conclusions:

• Current data lacks information on hard endpoints like morbidity and mortality.
• Longer-duration studies with larger patient cohorts are necessary.
• Further research is required to evaluate the polypill's cardiovascular benefits and safety profile.