Dr Reddy's Laboratories will launch polypill, a combination of now widely used four medicines to treat cardiac diseases vastly simpler and more effectively, in India by the second quarter of next year, informed its chief operating officer Satish Reddy. The Indian pharma major has teamed up with researchers at the University of Aukland, New Zealand to be partner in the global trials of the pill that was doing the rounds across the globe for long. New Zealand High commissioner in India Graeme Waters announced the collaboration here on December 7.

Dr Reddy's took three years to develop the new pill, which Satish termed as the `single most initiative of the decade' by the Hyderabad-based company. Six months ago, the trials started for the secondary prevention of cardio vascular diseases. It would be launched in India by the second quarter of next year.

Trials for the version two for the primary prevention were already on and that is also expected around the same time and the company has already filed for formulation patent of the same, Satish said. The Reddy's will invest $ 7.5 million for developing the polypill and providing supplies for clinical trials globally. The trials will involve about 100 people in India and New Zealand.

``This project holds open the possibility of revolutionising an important aspect of healthcare in both developing and developed countries. It provides also chance to forge bigger advances,'' the High Commissioner said. A polypill combines four medicines aspirin, a statin to lower cholesterol and two blood pressure drugs - already used to treat heart diseases to make it cheaper to administer and more effective in preventing strokes and heart attacks. Researchers claimed that it could cut down the risk of death due to heart diseases up to 65 per cent.