One pill can reduce the risk of heart attacks by a third
The results of a medical study showed that daily intake of a combination pill consisting of four specific drugs can reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes by a third.
The multi-indication pill contains blood-thinning aspirin, cholesterol-lowering statins, and two other blood pressure-lowering drugs.
The researchers who collaborated to conduct the study, from the United Kingdom and Iran, said that this drug has a huge impact, although it costs only a few pennies a day.
The researchers suggest that this pill be given as a preventive treatment to all people over a
certain age in poor countries, where the treatment options available to doctors are limited, as well as their ability to assess the health status of individuals.
Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and causes more than 15 million deaths annually.
Smoking, obesity, and lack of exercise also increase the risk of heart disease.
The study, which was published in the weekly "Lancet" medical journal, included more than 100 villages in Iran, and about 6800 people participated.
About half of the people were given a daily pill, with advice on how to improve their lifestyle, while the other half only got advice.
Five years later, 202 cases of heart or blood vessel injury were recorded among 3,421 people who were taking the pill daily.
Compared to 301 cases out of 3417 people who did not take the mentioned pill.
Prof Tom Marshall, from the Britain's University of Birmingham, told BBC News: "We have presented evidence that we get from a developing or middle-income country, and this is the case for many countries. This is a strategy worth considering."
The study showed that the aforementioned drug tablet led to a significant reduction in bad cholesterol, while it had a slight effect on lowering blood pressure.
The drug was given to people over the age of 50, regardless of whether or not they had a previous heart problem.
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"Given the easy access to the drug, there is great potential to improve cardiovascular health and prevent the world's leading cause of death," said Dr. Nidal Sarrafzadkan, from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran.
The idea of the multi-indication tablet has been around since 2001, but it is the first time that large trials have been conducted to prove its efficacy.
But the importance of this disclosure may vary by country. In the UK and other wealthy countries, doctors have time to determine the needs of patients and assess their health, and a wide range of different drugs, such as statins, to choose from.
Prof Marshall says: "The benefits will be considered less significant in the UK and it is likely that clinical trials will need to be conducted to see the benefits of the drug compared to what is currently being offered to patients."
The drug is also not licensed in the United Kingdom, and obtaining such a license would be difficult in light of the laws adopted there.
The British Heart Foundation says a third of Britons with high blood pressure do not know they have it.
This means, according to the foundation, that "the biggest priority in the UK is to find out how many people are unaware they have high cholesterol or high blood pressure, and to help people who have prescriptions take the right medication."