‘5-in-1 pill,tried on Indians,may check heart disease’

The study has been published in the March 30 online issue of The Lancet. Dr Salim Yusuf of McMaster University in Canada,the lead investigator who conducted the study in collaboration with the St John’s Medical College,Bangalore,has also presented the findings at the Orlando meeting of the American College of Cardiology.

During the trials,experts examined the effect of the polycap on blood pressure,lipids,heart rate,urinary thromboxane B2,and assessed its tolerability. It was seen that the combination of drugs helped in reducing incidences of CVD by more than 80 per cent in healthy individuals.

“The concept of polypill,in which five drugs are combined into one to tackle most of the risk factors for heart disease so as to prevent heart attacks and death,is particularly attractive to Indians who have multiple risk factors in middle age and beyond,” said Dr Anoop Misra,Director and Head,Department of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases,Fortis Hospital in New Delhi.

Subjects included in the trials had at least one risk factor like hypertension,more cholesterol. After conclusion of the study,it was observed that the group receiving five drugs had reduced blood pressure,cholesterol and that blood thinning had reduced the heart rate.

The study gains significance for Indians as it is estimated that 10 per cent of the urban and about 2 per cent of the rural Indian population is affected by cardiovascular diseases. By 2010,India is estimated to have the largest number of people with heart problems.

According to heart specialists,polycap will be available in India within weeks. “With 4-5 drugs combined in a single pill,it’s definitely going to improve compliance of patients,ultimately offering them greater benefits,” said Dr Nishith Chandra,Principal Consultant Interventional Cardiologist,Escorts Heart Institute & Research Centre.

Indian doctors are happy the study helped in observing that the combination of drugs could be tolerated well by the population here. While experts combined three drugs like thiazide,atenolol,ramipril,they added simvastatin and aspirin. “This is proof it can work in real-life situation,” said Dr Misra.

But he also had a word of caution. “The pill does not prove that ultimately it can reduce heart attacks and death. A note of caution is that this trial only proves that such a pill could be administered to the population at large without undue concern about the side effects. But its efficacy in preventing heart attacks and death remains to be proven in the long term. For a developing country like India,proper diet and daily exercises are cheaper,more effective options without side effects,” Dr Misra said.