Polypill cure-for-all could become a killer

Doctors in Britain are warning that offering all men over 50 and all women over 60 a pill to protect them against heart disease and stroke, will only serve to encourage an unhealthy lifestyle.

The 'polypill', a combination of cholesterol-lowering statin, aspirin and drugs to cut blood pressure, is being promoted as an all-purpose cure for heart disease, but critics say laziness and over-confidence about diet and fitness could result in the polypill becoming a killer.

A surge in the numbers of people leading unhealthy lifestyles could be the unwanted result of offering the pill to protect the middle-aged against heart disease and stroke, doctors have warned.

Many experts support moves to increase the numbers taking the 'polypill' but they too warn that it should not be viewed as a magic cure.

Professor Roger Boyle, the national director for heart disease and stroke, has suggested that the mass-prescription to the drugs could be a means of preventing premature deaths.

It is estimated that cardiovascular disease kills more than 200,000 people each year and three million Britons, considered to be at high risk, currently take the drugs.

Some experts say, though in principle the idea is sound, there is a concern that the responsibility for health is taken away from the person and the pill could be seen as a magic cure and lifestyle issues ignored.

They say some people on statins believe they can eat whatever they like and do little exercise.

It is thought that giving the drugs to everyone over a certain age would reduce cases of diabetes as the statins are effective and safe; offering one pill instead of three or four also meant people were more likely to take them.

Advocates say however that such a move must be accompanied with an education program which encourages people to think about their diet and to stay fit.

Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation says there is a risk of creating a culture where lifestyle issues are resolved by taking a pill which is an inappropriate message.

Experts say the best advice to reduce the risk of heart attack remains to not smoke, not get over-weight, eat well and exercise and statins are not a substitute for the lifestyle message but rather a welcome addition.

The National Institute of Clinical and Health Excellence (NICE) recommend all adults with a 20% risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years be offered a statin.

This recommendation means in effect that six million people in the UK are eligible for the drugs on the NHS.