Polypill may be available in two years

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7418.0-g

BMJ 2003;327 (4 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7418.0-g

Editor's choice

Polypill may be available in two years

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Light the blue touch paper and retreat 5 metres. That's whatwe did when we published a series of papers suggesting thatif everybody started taking a pill containing six ingredientsat the age of 55 then deaths from heart disease and stroke wouldbe reduced by 80%. The pill would contain aspirin, a statin,folic acid, and three antihypertensives at half dose. Versionsof all the drugs are now off patent, and the pill could be producedfor pence. Wild with enthusiasm, I suggested that the issueof the BMJ that published the articles might be the most importantfor 50 years and become a collector's item.

I've no idea how many readers have stored away that issue likea vintage bottle of claret, but clearly many readers thoughtthat this illustrated my woeful lack of judgment and the generaldecline in the BMJ. A "preposterous Polypill panacea" . . . [Full text of this article]

Richard Smith, editor

rsmith@bmj.com

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