• Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions
• Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation

A recent article published in the BMJ argued that a polypill containing various commonly prescribed cardiovascular medicines should be offered as primary prevention to all people in the UK over the age of 50 years to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.1 The paper, based on discussions at a ‘consensus building seminar’ held in London in 2024, claimed that the introduction of a cardiovascular polypill could have a greater impact on public health than that achieved by the NHS Health Check, which is offered to people aged 40–74 years.1 It is worth noting that the paper includes a declaration that one of the authors co-convened the seminar and is a director of a company that sells an unlicensed formulation of a polypill containing rosuvastatin 10 mg, hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg, amlodipine 2.5 mg and losartan 25 mg.1 2 …