Polypill proves cost-effective, even in poorer nations

A polypill designed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease would be cost-effective in Latin America, even in countries with low gross national incomes, according to an analysis published in the January issue of Health Affairs. The polypill, a tablet that combines antihypertensive medicines to lower blood pressure and a statin to lower cholesterol, has been tested in both developed and developing nations. One study in the U.K., for instance, found that polypill usage reduced mean systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and low density lipoprotein cholesterol by 12 percent, 11 percent and 39 percent, respectively