Simplify the treatment of cardiovascular disease and make it accessible to anyone. This is what the polypill developed by the National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) and the Ferrer laboratories has achieved, a drug that has shown that taking a single daily pill after a heart attack Not only is it a more comfortable option, it also saves lives. The polypill has been shown to be effective in preventing cardiovascular events after a heart attack, reducing cardiovascular events by 24% and cardiovascular death by 33% in patients who have previously suffered a myocardial infarction.
This was demonstrated by the SECURE study, which was presented at the European Congress of Cardiology (ESC 2022) in Barcelona and whose results were published in “The New England Journal of Medicine” (NEJM). “The SECURE data reveal, for the first time , that the polypill that contains aspirin, atorvastatin and ramipril achieves clinically relevant reductions in recurrent cardiovascular events in patients who have suffered a myocardial infarction”, highlights the principal investigator of the SECURE study, Dr. Valentín Fuster, Director General of the CNIC, Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Medical Director of the Monte Hospital sinai.
Cardiovascular disease is often called the epidemic of the 21st century, says Óscar Pérez, Ferrer’s Chief Marketing, Market Access and Business Development Officer. And despite the fact that there is strong evidence of the high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among the population, he adds, “it is true that preventive strategies frequently do not achieve the desired results, in part, due to the low adherence of patients to treatment, that is to say, the little compliance with the taking of the prescribed medicines».
In this sense, Pérez points out, the polypill means that three essential medicines, which act on three of the main cardiovascular risk factors, coexist within a single capsule, “a technologically complex task that has involved around fifty different pharmaceutical developments to give with a stable formulation that keeps the properties of each of its components intact”.
The project arose in 2002, during a trip to Russia. There, Dr. Fuster verified how the follow-up of the treatments was very low. Not only because of the discomfort of taking all the pills, but also because of the high price of the medicines. He then thought that a formula devised to combat the HIV epidemic could also be used to deal with the pandemic of cardiovascular diseases, the ones that kill the most in the world.
In 2017, he allied with Ferrer and the heart polypill project began. «At Ferrer we are committed to generating a positive impact on society and, in our mission to improve people’s health and quality of life, we firmly believe that public-private collaboration is one of the main drivers of innovation. For this reason, when we found ourselves before a project of such social importance as the improvement of prevention in cardiovascular disease, our commitment was firm and determined”, recalls Óscar Pérez. Now after years of research, a new study proves him right. to Valentin Fuster.
Despite much emphasis on cardiovascular disease prevention factors, many people continue to suffer a heart attack, which requires lifelong treatment. Fuster explains that drugs that improve life expectancy after a heart attack are well known. “All patients who have suffered a myocardial infarction, and do not have contraindications, should take a statin to lower cholesterol, a hypotensive from the family of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, a beta-adrenergic blocker, and aspirin. The problem is that the drugs have to be administered every day, and this forces the patient to take a significant number of tablets or pills.” Although these are highly conscientious patients, following this therapeutic regimen is not easy. It is known that 50% of patients with chronic diseases do not take their medication properly. This lack of adherence to treatment determines that protection decreases and complications increase.
Treatment adherence is influenced by many different factors, but one of the most important is the complexity of the therapy the patient receives. The greater the number of medications or the greater the complexity, the less adherence. In addition, the drugs for the call secondary prevention (in people who have already suffered a heart attack) have a high cost in certain countries, generally low or medium income, unaffordable for the majority of the population. As a consequence of all this, the disease continues to spread throughout the world like an epidemic.
The SECURE findings suggest that the polypill could become an integral part of strategies to prevent cardiovascular events in people who have suffered a heart attack, emphasizes Dr. Fuster. By simplifying treatment and improve adherence, this approach has the potential to reduce the risk of recurrent disease and cardiovascular death on a global scale. For Fuster, these new results have a great impact for patients and healthcare systems.
“The SECURE findings suggest that the polypill could become an integral part of strategies to prevent cardiovascular events in patients who have suffered a heart attack. By simplifying treatment and improving adherence, this approach has the potential to reduce the risk of recurrent disease and cardiovascular death globally,” adds Fuster.
At Ferrer, aware of the paradigm shift that the existence of the polypill implies in the field of prevention, they are studying new scenarios that allow greater and better access to this pharmaceutical innovation by patients who require it. Óscar Pérez acknowledges that the manufacture of the polypill requires a complex technological process which is continuously analyzed to try to optimize and scale. “We are aware of the benefits provided by the polypill, especially in light of the results of the SECURE study, and for this reason, we have been working for some time on increasing production capacity that allows us to meet growing demand, guaranteeing the highest quality and excellence. in our processes.
The cardiovascular polypill is currently marketed in 25 countries; In parallel to improving access in Europe and Latin America, Ferrer proposes making the leap to the North American market, where the high prevalence of risk factors makes the cardiovascular polypill an imminent need. Spain, concludes Oscar Pérez, “is our main market, championed by cardiology of the highest level.”