Polypill: Does it treat heart disease?

Date Updated: 04/04/2020

Answer Section

The term "polypill" describes a pill that contains a combination of several medications commonly used to treat heart disease and high blood pressure. Doctors aren't yet sure what the best combination of medications is for the polypill. It will probably include low doses of these medications:

Aspirin
Cholesterol-lowering medications (statins)
Medications to make your heart beat with less force
Medications to lower your blood pressure

The polypill is still being studied, and it isn't currently available for sale in the United States. But, studies suggest that the combined medication helps people better adhere to their treatment. That's probably because it's easier to remember to take one medication than multiple ones.

The polypill also seems to be effective at lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Longer studies need to be done to show whether the combination drug will lower deaths from heart disease and stroke too.

There was some concern the polypill might have more side effects than when medications are taken individually. However, there were low rates of side effects in recent clinical trials of the polypill. Possible side effects included a cough, muscle aches and stomach irritation.

One big drawback is that medication dosages can't be adjusted in a polypill. A possible fix is to have more than one type of polypill.