Polypill, el policomprimido cardiovascular: Del concepto a la realidad en España

The deteriorating health of the general population and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases are global problems with complex, multifactorial causes. The aging of the population combined with the spread of poor eating habits, obesity, and hypertension is an increasingly important contributor to the developing epidemic of cardiovascular disease. In these circumstances, the number of people receiving long-term, complex, pharmacological regimens involving a range of medications has increased substantially and this has, in turn, revealed an alarmingly low rate of medication adherence in both primary and secondary prevention. Registry data, clinical studies and meta-analyses consistently indicate that more than 50% of patients, on average, abandon treatment after an acute myocardial infarction. Poor treatment adherence has serious health and economic consequences and is associated with the failure to achieve therapeutic goals and with high hospitalization and death rates. It is in this context that the Fuster-CNIC-Ferrer polypill has been developed. It includes acetylsalicylic acid, a statin and an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and is indicated as a replacement for other types of therapy in secondary prevention. This article contains a review of the scientific evidence supporting this public health strategy and summarizes the major milestones in its development.