BMJ  2003;327:809 (4 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7418.809

Letter

"Polypill" to fight cardiovascular disease

Summary of rapid responses

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

EDITOR—There were some enthusiastic champions of the concept, but, overall, respondents remained to be convinced that the "Polypill" issue was indeed a collector's item and a possible contender for the most important BMJ paper in 50 years, as the editor had indicated.^1-5 Images of the tooth fairy and April foolery were invoked, along with gasps of horror, astonishment, and incredulity that the hypothesis should be taken for anything approaching rigorous science.

This was proof, if any were needed, that the BMJ had finally lost the plot, judged several contributors.

Chief among the concerns was the lack of trial evidence for the effectiveness of the Polypill, or any facsimile, for that matter. Wasn't the assumption that the six constituents would work cumulatively and in perfect synergy a foolish one to make on the basis of results from disparate trials? What about the effects of aspirin on people with asthma . . . [Full text of this article]

London E17 4SQ

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