Doctors have been reluctant to prescribe them partly because no big, international studies have shown they can lower heart attacks and deaths — not just risk factors such as high blood pressure. All were at moderate risk of heart problems due to high blood pressure, diabetes or other conditions. They were divided into groups and given either low-dose aspirin (75 milligrams), the polypill alone, the polypill plus aspirin or placebo pills. However, the polypill plus aspirin showed clear value, reducing the heart-related problems and deaths by 31%. About 4% of people in this group died or suffered one of the heart problems being tracked versus nearly 6% of those on placebo pills.

Source: Los Angeles Times November 13, 2020 19:30 UTC