I presume by ' polypill ' , you mean a combination of ACE-Inhibitor , Beta-Blocker , Statin & Aspirin . They would definitely will have a role in the indications , you have suggested . But , it is possible that physicians would like to adjust the dosages of the individual drugs & would prefer multiple single drugs than polypill . If the dosage fits in with the polypill , then they would recommend it . It would be easy to manage side effects of individual drugs , rather than polypill , as they can be withdrawn without difficulty . Whether patients find it impractical would depend on their attitude , as some of these tablets are large sized & difficult to swallow . It is also the responsibility of the patients to take care of their health , by strictly following the instructions of their doctors. .
I agree wight he aforementioned post, while it sounds convenient to have a single combo pill like they do for HIV therapy, this presents numerous hurdles, such as which of the many ACE/ARB medications to use, and at what dose, the same questions comes around for each of the classes of medication. Additionally we must consider the pharmacokinetics of the medications, some are preferably taken in the evening (statins) and others need to be dosed several times daily. Combine all of this with the reality that this would be a branded medicine and therefore expensive it makes it less likely, not because the companies would not love to take your money but the insurers are not going to be happy for pay $300 a month for what would cost $10 if bought generically and over the counter. In the end it is a bet between the drug manufacturer and the insurer, the manufacturer has to show the FDA some value to get it approved, costing money from research, and the insurer wants to see that this will increase compliance therefore reducing overall cost to manage disease burden, if that is the case then it will end up on formulary and it will happen, otherwise it would be relegated to the $85 a month co-pay of a nonformulary medication and the patients will end up taking the $4 generics instead. So the answer is a big maybe, as we are already seeing combination antihypertensives and antihypertensive statins (Caduet, amlodipine and simvastatin), but they seem to have limited traction in the marketplace
Some combination drugs are already in use such as calcium channel blockers and statins although this may not qualify as a polypill assuming one requires more than two medications.
Yes, but there have to be several types of polypill with different components and doses to match the clinical needs of different HF patients, which is obvious. Preliminary studies on effectiveness of polypill in preventing atherosclerotic CVD are encouraging.
I think this combination may have a limited value, because unstable subjects with heart failure are required individual dosing and probably biomarker-guded therapy. For stable CAD patients, probably yes, polypill may considered a variant for approache.