Cardiovascular disease is still one of the leading causes of death around the world, and the number of patients is likely to increase with the increase in life expectancy in most countries.
The treatment of these conditions includes a large number of medications, aimed at preventing and reducing the risk of heart attacks.
However, the global and local use of these medicines is still very low, as a result of the patient's failure to adhere to the large number of medicines prescribed to him.
From here, Ferrer Laboratories International developed a multifunctional pill consisting of three drugs recommended by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the American College of Cardiology (AHA).
The multi-pill, commonly known as "Polypill" in the scientific community, includes the blood-thinning drug (Acetyl Salicylic Acid) in addition to the cholesterol drug (Atorvastatin) and the blood pressure medication (ACE inhibitor: Ramipril).
One pill guarantees adherence to medication
Perhaps the most important challenge that doctors face is the difficulty of their patients’ commitment to treatment throughout the disease, and this challenge increases, especially in chronic cases, as patients stop their treatment and their commitment drops to less than half after only six months.
“When we combine therapies into one pill, we ensure that the patient takes their medications for longer periods,”
says Dr. Valentin Foster, former president of the American College of Cardiology (AHA) who worked on the multi-pill project.
Reduce your medical bill
Replacing the three required drugs with the polypill reduced the patient's bill by about 70%. Lebanon has joined more than 33 countries around the world in which a new drug is available that combines three components to prevent heart disease, cholesterol, and blood pressure.
In addition to the patient's commitment and ensuring the continuity of treatment, the multi-pill provides an opportunity to reduce the treatment bill, and reduce the cost of treatment for the patient and the guarantors.
The launch of this drug constitutes a great addition to progress in the field of cardiology, in terms of providing ease of treatment for all patients, especially the elderly, who take a large number of medications.