An article in today’s New Zealand Herald looks at a five-pill trial involving Auckland University and New Zealand patients that aims to prevent deaths from heart disease.
An excerpt:The results, published in The Lancet, show that over 12 weeks the polypill reduced blood pressure and cholesterol in a similar way to its individual constituent drugs without increasing side effects.
“Four hundred participants from New Zealand and seven other countries were being recruited to trial a similar combination pill in a pilot study beginning this year.
“Auckland University epidemiologist Professor Rod Jackson, who is assisting with the pill pilot study, said if the trials were to echo the results from the Indian study it could revolutionise the treatment of heart disease in New Zealand.
“It would be quite radical. We know, and have evidence that a large number of people are at an increased risk of cardio-vascular disease, and they are either untreated or under-treated. They are under-treated because they are resistant to multiple drugs.”
Journalists can contact the SMC for a copy of the research.