Hypertension is a major, if not the most important, contributor to the disease burden and premature death globally which is largely related to cardiovascular disease. In both the primary and the secondary preventions of cardiovascular disease, blood pressure (BP) targets are often not achieved which is similar to achievement of cholesterol goals. Combining aspirin, cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering agents into a fixed-dose combination pill called the cardiovascular polypill has been proposed as complementary care in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in both the primary and secondary preventions of cardiovascular disease. This review article focuses on the potential role of fixed-dose combination therapy in the treatment of hypertension, outlines the pros and cons of combination therapy and emphasizes the rationale for trialling their use. Current and planned future cardiovascular polypill trials are summarized, and the prerequisites for implementation of the polypill strategy are described.
Keywords: Adherence; Cholesterol; Combination pill; Fixed-dose combination therapy; Hypertension; Polypill; Prevention.