Population level reduction of dietary salt consumption is one of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) best buys and is identified as one of the top five priority non-communicable disease interventions.  The WHO has called for 30% relative reduction in global sodium consumption by 2025.  In India, estimated salt intake is about 10g/day which is twice as high as the WHO recommendation of 5g/day. Like many low- and middle-income countries, more than 80% of the salt consumed in India is either added during cooking or at the table. Habitual excess salt consumption is a main determinant of the disease burden of high blood pressure, which is responsible for about 170 000 deaths in India each year. The prevalence of hypertension in India is projected to nearly double from 140 million to 214 million people by 2030. The leading cause of death in India is cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), with ischemic heart disease and stroke accountable for more than 80% of total CVD deaths. High blood pressure is the

The goal of the research consortium (RC) is to conduct prioritized and policy-relevant research to support country and global efforts to build high-quality PHC systems in pursuit of universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals. It will achieve this by developing, growing, and maintaining a global PHC research network led by organizations based in LMICs.

Background An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an enlarged area in the lower part of the major vessel that supplies blood to the body. Most AAAs are detected when they are small, and affected patients are monitored by regular repeat imaging until their aneurysm expands to a size where surgical repair is required. The only current treatment is high-risk surgery. Numerous trials have been conducted in the last 20 years to try to identify an effective medical therapy for AAA, but all published trials to date have been unsuccessful. There is substantial epidemiological and pre-clinical evidence to suggest that a widely used, safe and low-cost drug called metformin may prevent serious AAA-related events such as ruptures, death or need for surgery, however a large-scale randomised control trial (RCT) is needed to test any such benefit reliably.  Aims The primary aim of the Metformin Aneurysm Trial (MAT) is to assess whether metformin prevents the need for AAA repair by surgery, or death from A