Arch Iran Med
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Premature mortality (PM) has emerged as a global health challenge. This is of eminent importance in low- and middle-income countries, where nearly three fourths of the deaths occur. The concerning issue is the early occurrence of fatal events in productive age. ⋯ Recently, researchers have introduced a cost-effective fixed-dose drug combination, the so-called polypill, in order to attenuate the detrimental effects of hypertension and hyperlipidemia, as two strong cardiovascular risk factors. PolyIran and PolyIran-Liver studies are two pivotal clinical trials that revealed the feasibility of primary and secondary prevention of premature cardiovascular mortality, both in an urban and a rural population. In the present narrative review, we tried to present a comprehensive appraisal on PM status, its underlying reasons, and the impact of polypill strategy on PM prevention in Iran.