Magic heart pill could drain health resources

Treating as many people as possible with the new polypill would not be cost effective, a study has claimed.

Polypill – which combines aspirin, a statin, three blood pressure-lowering agents and folic acid – could slash the risk of coronary artery disease and stroke, but health experts have said giving it to everyone at risk from the diseases would be too much of a drain on resources.

The team, led by Professor Oscar H Franco, said the so-called ‘magic bullet’ would need to be carefully targeted and cheap to manufacture for it to be a feasible option for people at risk from heart disease and stroke.

The pill has still to be fully tested, but in theory it has the potential to cut the risk of coronary artery disease by 88 per cent and stroke by 80 per cent in those between 55 and 64 years old.

Researchers from Erasmus University in Holland also found it had the potential to reduce heart attack deaths.

However, they said it should be targeted at over 60s or those at a high risk from heart disease to make it more cost effective.

Giving it to everyone over 60 would prevent up to 179 heart attacks and 33 strokes per 1,000 people, according to the research team’s theoretical evidence.

The data was taken from more than 5,000 people between the ages of 28 and 62 who were monitored as part of the US Farmingham Heart study.

The team, who reported their findings in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, wrote: “The polypill seems to potentially offer a highly effective intervention, but potential producers should be aware of the market limitations. The polypill may be the preventative method with potentially the greatest impact on public health in the western world, but is everything that glitters gold?

“Even when it is, it should certainly he a lot less expensive than gold to ensure a serious impact on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.”

© Adfero Ltd