A daily pill combining four cholesterol and blood pressure medicines taken with low-dose aspirin cut the risk of heart attacks, strokes and heart-related deaths by nearly one third in a large international study that's expected to lead to wider use of this "polypill" approach.

For more than a decade, doctors have been testing whether the cheap, all-in-one combo pills could make it easier to prevent heart disease, the top killer worldwide. Friday's results show their value — and not just for poor nations.

"It's for all sensible countries," said Dr. Salim Yusuf of McMaster University in Hamilton...