A polypill is a medication that is a drug product in pill form-tablet or capsule, that combines multiple active pharmaceutical ingredients.
It is commonly manufactured as a fixed-dose combination (FDC) drug product targeting treatment or prevention of chronic disease.
Polypills may be for preventive medicine, and/or treating actual pathophysiological condition(s).
Polypills can reduce the number of tablets or capsules that need to be taken, which in turn may facilitate handling and administration of pharmaceuticals as well as alleviate patient pill-burden.
Sometimes the multiple drugs in a polypill might all be aimed at a single underlying condition.
In addition to the noted fixed-dose types of polypills, polypills can also be custom-made for specific patients through pharmacy compounding.
HIV, mental-health, transplant, and the elderly are patient groups are known for especially high pill-burdens.
Fixed-dose combination (FDC) products today are also common for treating other diseases, such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, and diabetes.
Widespread use of such a polypill could reduce mortality due to heart disease and strokes by up to 80%.