KEY POINTS:
Volunteers in Auckland are needed for a ground-breaking global trial to test a new heart drug.
The new international trial will involve 400 volunteers from seven countries and has been spearheaded by Auckland University.
It has already sparked interest in the UK where trials to test the "polypill" or "Red Heart pill" are already under way. The single pill combines four drugs which backers claim could half the number of deaths caused by strokes and heart disease.
Men in their 40s and 50s and women in their 50s and 60s are being targeted for the trial, led by the Clinical Trials Research Unit of Auckland University . Other countries taking part alongside New Zealand are Australia, Brazil, India, the Netherlands, Britain and the United States.
The trial will be funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand and the Wellcome Trust.
Professor Anthony Rodgers, lead investigator on the New Zealand trial, said cardiovascular risk was measured through a combination of factors, including cholesterol and blood pressure levels, smoking, family history and being overweight .
"The trial will test whether we can identify patients with increased risk early, and safely reduce risk factors with a single, once a day tablet," Prof Rodgers said.
The 12-week trial will assess tolerability of the pill and effects on blood pressure and cholesterol. The study is looking for volunteers who are not currently on associated medication.
Prof Rodgers said this was the first international trial of the new combination medicine, and was the culmination of five years work.
"It's been a great technical challenge getting it all together, and the polypill is planned to be very affordable at about $30 a month.
"This trial will look at whether the pill has a preventative aspect. It would be great to hear from people who may be eligible, such as men in their 40s and 50s and women in their 50s and 60s, although younger people who smoke, are overweight or have high blood pressure would also benefit," Prof Rodgers told NZPA.
Volunteers can attend a trial clinic in Glen Innes, Auckland, from next week and may self-refer via the website www.pillproject.org or call 3737 599 ext 82358.
ProCare Health Ltd will also recruit participants in Auckland, along with Ngati Porou Hauora in Gi sborne.
- NZPA
