KEY POINTS:
Maori in the Gisborne area are a key focus of a New Zealand drug trial testing whether four drugs rolled into one "polypill" can reduce heart attacks.
Professor Rod Jackson, from the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland, said Gisborne was a "logical choice" for its strong mix of Maori and non-Maori. The trial would also take in Auckland.
An Indian drug-maker, Dr Reddy's Laboratories, said it would spend $7.5 million to develop the university's polypill, containing aspirin, a drug to lower cholesterol and two blood pressure drugs.
"Clinical trials will soon start to prove that the four compounds taken together can effectively reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in patients," said Dr Reddy's managing director, Satish Reddy.
The trial will involve up of 600 people, half of them Maori.
Their health will be followed for 12 months.
- NZPA
