Polypill Strategy in Secondary Cardiovascular Prevention

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  • Jose M. Castellano
  • Stuart J. Pocock
  • Deepak L. Bhatt
  • Antonio J. Quesada
  • Ruth Owen
  • Antonio Fernandez-Ortiz
  • Pedro L. Sanchez
  • Francisco Marin Ortuño
  • Jose M. Vazquez Rodriguez
  • Alexandra Domingo-Fernández
  • Iñigo Lozano
  • Maria C. Roncaglioni
  • Marta Baviera
  • Andreana Foresta
  • Luisa Ojeda-Fernandez
  • Furio Colivicchi
  • Stefania A. Di Fusco
  • Wolfram Doehner
  • Antje Meyer
  • François Schiele
  • Fiona Ecarnot
  • Aleš Linhart
  • Jean Claude Lubanda
  • Gyorgy Barczi
  • Bela Merkely
  • Piotr Ponikowski
  • Marta Kasprzak
  • Juan M. Fernandez Alvira
  • Vicente Andres
  • Hector Bueno
  • Timothy Collier
  • Frans Van de Werf
  • Pablo Perel
  • Moises Rodriguez-Manero
  • Angeles Alonso Garcia
  • Marco Proietti
  • Tabassome Simon
  • Jose Fernandez Ferro
  • Nicolas Lopez
  • Ettore Beghi
  • Yannick Bejot
  • David Vivas
  • Alberto Cordero
  • Borja Ibañez
  • Valentin Fuster

BACKGROUND A polypill that includes key medications associated with improved outcomes (aspirin, angiotensin-converting–enzyme [ACE] inhibitor, and statin) has been proposed as a simple approach to the secondary prevention of cardiovascular death and complications after myocardial infarction. METHODS In this phase 3, randomized, controlled clinical trial, we assigned patients with myocardial infarction within the previous 6 months to a polypill-based strategy or usual care. The polypill treatment consisted of aspirin (100 mg), ramipril (2.5, 5, or 10 mg), and atorvastatin (20 or 40 mg). The primary composite outcome was cardiovascular death, nonfatal type 1 myocardial infarction, nonfatal ischemic stroke, or urgent revascularization. The key secondary end point was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal type 1 myocardial infarction, or nonfatal ischemic stroke. RESULTS A total of 2499 patients underwent randomization and were followed for a median of 36 months. A primary-outcome event occurred in 118 of 1237 patients (9.5%) in the polypill group and in 156 of 1229 (12.7%) in the usual-care group (hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60 to 0.96; P=0.02). A key secondary-outcome event occurred in 101 patients (8.2%) in the polypill group and in 144 (11.7%) in the usual-care group (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.90; P=0.005). The results were consistent across prespecified subgroups. Medication adherence as reported by the patients was higher in the polypill group than in the usual-care group. Adverse events were similar between groups. CONCLUSIONS Treatment with a polypill containing aspirin, ramipril, and atorvastatin within 6 months after myocardial infarction resulted in a significantly lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events than usual care.

Original languageEnglish
JournalNew England Journal of Medicine
Volume387
Issue number11
Pages (from-to)967-977
Number of pages11
ISSN0028-4793
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

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