DR. REDDY'S TO STUDY COMBINATION HEART DRUG

Researchers at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, have teamed up with India's Dr. Reddy's Laboratories to test new pill that could provide simple and effective treatment for heart disease, Dr. Reddy's announced.

The global trial will test the benefits of a cardiovascular "polypill" -- a single pill that combines four drugs already commonly used to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Researchers believe that combining the medicines into one pill will make them easier to take, cheaper to administer and more effective in preventing strokes and heart attacks. That could bring enormous benefits, particularly for people in developing nations who can't afford to buy many drugs, according to Dr. Reddy's, which will manufacture the pills.

The trial will involve roughly 600 people in New Zealand, India, Australia, Brazil, China, South Africa the U.S. and the UK. The trial will begin next year. If the first trial is successful, a full-scale trial is planned that would involve up to 5,000 people with moderate risk of heart disease.

If approved, the drug is likely to cost only a few dollars a month in developing countries, Dr. Reddy's said.