London (PTI): Here's some hearty news! Yes, if researchers are to be believed, you could simply pop a single pill to tackle all your cardiac problems. An international team, funded by the Wellcome Trust in London and the British Heart Foundation, is developing what they claim is the "polypill" -- a cheap drug that can protect against heart disease and stroke.

In fact, the researchers have already begun recruiting around 700 volunteers across six countries for a pilot 'trial' of the "polypill" manufactured by Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's, the 'New Scientist' reported. According to them, the red heart pill to be priced at USD one for a month's supply, blends blood-thinning aspirin, a cholesterol-lowering statin, an ACE inhibitor and a thiazide to lower blood pressure.

Trials in thousands of people could start next year, said the researchers led by Anthony Rodgers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. "The polypill is aimed at reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke in poor and rich countries alike. However, its use will vary around the world," Simon Thom of Imperial College London, who is running the UK trials, said.

In the developing world, he advocated distributing the pill "almost blind" to everyone over the age of 55 years. But, countries where people have better access to doctors and drugs are unlikely to adopt the one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, over-55s could be put on one of several different "polypills" containing varying doses of the drugs, depending on their health needs, according to them.