Key points from article :
Polypill combines three blood pressure medications (atenolol, ramipril, and the hydrochlorothiazide) and a cholesterol-lowering medication simvastatin.
Polypills can be taken alone or with an aspirin.
5,700 volunteers from all over the world followed for nearly five years.
Male volunteers were 50 or older and women were 55 or older having moderate risk for heart problems.
Group was divided into people who took a low-dose aspirin, a polypill, the polypill plus an aspirin, or a placebo.
Polypill with the aspirin reduced heart problems and deaths by 31% with minimal side effects.
Side effects included dizziness or low blood pressure.
Pill without interruption saw a 40% reduced risk of heart problems.
"We could save millions of people from serious heart disease or stroke" Salim Yusuf, co-principal investigator.
Research by McMaster University published in New England Journal of Medicine.
