The polypill approach - An innovative strategy to improve cardiovascular health in Europe.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of disability and premature death. Despite European guidelines advocating the use of medical therapies in CVD, many patients still do not achieve the guideline-recommended treatment, which highlights the need for change and innovations in this field. This requirement has been widely recognised by the national ministries of health, several European cardiology societies, and the European Parliament, who support the initiation of strategies to improve and promote cardiovascular health.



One of the key risk factors to recurrent cardiovascular events is the lack of adherence to medication and this has been added to the agenda of the European Commission. With the intention to improve treatment adherence in CVD, polypills have been investigated and numerous studies demonstrate that they significantly improve medication adherence, which contributes to the improvement of health outcomes. In Europe, the first cardiovascular polypill, developed by a public-private partnership (CNIC-Ferrer), recently became available for general prescription as a therapy for CVD prevention. This polypill significantly improves adherence, preventing fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events, and appears to be a cost-effective strategy to improve sustainability of the health care systems in CVD.



Given the importance of urgent and simple solutions to restraining the pandemic nature of CVD, the polypill approach should therefore be considered by physicians and public health systems as an available and innovative option to improve cardiovascular health.
Fundación Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.|Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA.
Valentín
V
Fuster
Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats), European Parliament, Rue Wiertz, Altiero Spinelli 11E261, 1047, Brussels, Belgium.
Francesc
F
Gambús
Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats), European Parliament, Rue Wiertz, Altiero Spinelli 10E209, 1047, Brussels, Belgium. aldo.patriciello@europarl.europa.eu.
Aldo
0000-0003-4634-838X
A
Patriciello
Familial Hypercholesterolemia Foundation Norway, FH Norge, PB 9569, Youngstorget, 0028, Oslo, Norway.
Margaretha
M
Hamrin
Julius Global Health, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3508 GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Diederick E
DE
Grobbee
D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D055118:Medication Adherence
D002317:Cardiovascular Agents