No sooner did I predict new Rx drug pills that combine 3 or more brands into one pill (see “Caduet, Smaduet! Add some wood to the fire!“) than I read about the “polypill” in an AP story (“For heart disease, one pill may fit all“) appearing in Newsday.
“The so-called ‘polypill’ would contain aspirin, statins and ACE inhibitors – the three drugs known to prevent recurrent heart disease – and be used to reduce the occurrence of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular health problems, the World Heart Federation said.”
Of course, the “polypill” I suggested — which combines Norvasc (for hypertension), Lipitor (for high cholesterol), and Viagra (for erectile dysfunction, aka ED) — is much more interesting than adding aspirin to statins and ACE inhibitors! Aspirin’s a dime-a-dozen pill and adding it to serious medications is so old! There’s absolutely no marketing appeal to it!
According to the AP story: “The polypill would probably be used in patients with a history of heart disease. Proponents say it would be far easier for them to take than multiple pills, possibly leading to more patients following their prescriptions.”
O yeah? Well adding Viagra instead of aspirin, I am sure, would undoubtedly increase compliance with the cardiovascular regimen by a much greater factor! For men, anyway!
