Claims for single pill to cut heart disease deaths
Researchers have predicted that the distribution of one tablet each day to millions of people in the UK could cut heart disease deaths by 200,000 a year.
Combining aspirin and folic acid with drugs to lower cholesterol and bring down blood pressure, say scientists at the Wolfson Institute could give the average Briton an expanded lifespan.
Richard Smith, editor of the British Medical Journal today expressed his hopes for the tablet and told ITV that the pill should be distributed to people over the age of 55.
“As a result one third of those people will live 12 years longer than they might have done,” he said.
Scientists state that the tablet would not be suitable for everyone in the UK, as it could not be taken by those who react badly to aspirin or betablockers, and could also pose problems for people with asthma.
Others doctors have expressed concerns that people may view the so-called miracle pill as a license to follow an unhealthy lifestyle.
Research into the development of a single pill designed to cut deaths from heart disease utilised the work of 750 studies covering trials on 40,000 test subjects.
