Polypill strategy to improve global secondary cardiovascular prevention

The review article, "A Polypill Strategy to Improve Global Secondary Cardiovascular Prevention," was published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and will appear in the August 12, 2014 print issue.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading global cause of death, accounting for 17.3 million deaths per year. As the population ages and patients with heart disease survive longer, a growing pool of patients could benefit from secondary prevention of heart disease.

Secondary prevention includes lifestyle changes and the use of medications -- including statins, medications to reduce blood pressure, and antithrombotic agents. Use of these medications, which are generally low cost and safe, is thought to be responsible for half of the overall 50 percent reduction in mortality from heart disease in the past 20 years in some Western countries.

According to the researchers, there is room for improvement in secondary prevention, especially in nations with limited resources. The polypill, a combination pill taken just once a day that includes key medications for secondary prevention of heart disease, has been proposed as a low-cost strategy to improve adherence and reduce costs.