BRITISH doctors have produced for the first time a five-in-one “polypill” that, taken daily by everyone over 55, could prevent 80% of heart attacks and strokes.

The drug has received the backing of Professor Roger Boyle, the government’s heart disease czar, who wants it to be prescribed on the NHS.

The inventors of the pill say it could prevent 100,000 premature deaths a year if taken by all over 55s. Professor Nicholas Wald, director of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, in London, said: “I am delighted we have reached this milestone. Now we want to get it out there so people can use it.

“Our mission is to make this available to everyone over 55 at an affordable price. The founders of our group would like this pill to be available to everyone for about £1 a day.”

The pill is made up of a cholesterol-reducing statin; three types of medicine to lower blood pressure; and folic acid to reduce levels of homocysteine, an amino acid implicated in heart attacks and strokes.

Clinical trials have already shown that taken separately the ingredients prevent heart disease and strokes, so the combined pill will need to be tested in only small-scale trials to ensure that it acts in the same way. The inventors will then apply for a licence for the “polypill” to be prescribed in Britain. It could be available within two years.

“It would certainly have a big impact,” Boyle said, “and we need to remember that one-third of deaths are due to cardiovascular disease, despite substantial reductions over the past few years.”

The pill will be made by Cipla, one of India’s largest pharmaceutical companies. The first samples were available last week.

Find out more about the polypill from the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine