European journal of preventive cardiology
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Based on guidelines, patients with established cardiovascular disease are likely to already receive a combination of aspirin, a statin, and blood pressure (BP)-lowering agents. Combining these pharmacological agents into a cardiovascular polypill could be considered in these patients to reduce prescription gaps and non-adherence. We aimed to assess the prevalence of the combined use of aspirin, statin, and BP-lowering agents in patients with established cardiovascular diseases or type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) in the period 1996-2009. ⋯ A high proportion of patients with established cardiovascular diseases already uses a combination of pharmacological agents. Introduction of a polypill in high-risk patients might be feasible to reduce prescription gaps and increase adherence to indicated therapy.