Chandigarh, Sep 5 (IANS): Doctors and researchers have come out with a single pill, called a polypill, to help patients with cardio-vascular diseases (CVD) to overcome the problem of taking too many medicines.

According to the latest issue of the Journal of American Medical Association, a study was conducted on CVD patients in India and three European countries.

The study, conducted between July 2010 and July 2011, showed 86.3 percent of people using polypill continued with it but only 64.7 percent of those who were on multiple medication went with the many-medicine theory.

The study was conducted with the help of 28 Indian health-related institutions, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. The European Commission funded the study and it was planned by London's Imperial College.

The polypill is a combination of aspirin, lipid-lowering drug simvastatin and blood pressure lowering agents.

The study showed adherence to multiple medications was as low as 10 percent among Indian patients.

However, researchers said in case the polypill showed any side-effects, it has to be discontinued.