Nagar SP, Rane PP, Fox KM, Meyers J, Davis K, Beaubrun A, Inomata H, Qian Y, Kajinami K. Treatment patterns, statin intolerance, and subsequent cardiovascular events among Japanese patients with high cardiovascular risk initiating statin therapy. Circ J. 2018 Mar 23;82(4):1008-16. doi: 10.1253/circj.CJ-17-0811


BACKGROUND: This study examined treatment patterns, possible statin intolerance, and incidence of cardiovascular events (CVEs) in 2 cohorts of patients with high cardiovascular risk (i.e., patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease [ASCVD] and patients with diabetes mellitus).

METHODS AND RESULTS: A retrospective cohort study examined adults initiating either a statin or ezetimibe from 1 January 2006 to 31 May 2014 in the Japan Medical Data Center database. The first observed statin or ezetimibe prescription defined the index date. Patients had ≥12 months of pre- and post-index date plan enrollment. Two high-risk cohorts, the ASCVD cohort and diabetes cohort, were created based on diagnoses observed during the 12 months’ pre-index date. Treatment patterns, possible statin intolerance, and incidence of CVEs were reported. In the ASCVD cohort (n=5,302), 32.9% discontinued therapy, 7.7% switched to a non-index statin or non-statin lipid-lowering therapy, and 11.2% augmented index therapy in the 12 months’ post-index date; only 0.3% were using high-intensity statins and 10% had possible statin intolerance. Also, 8.1% had any new CVE during the follow-up period. Treatment patterns and incidence of CVEs among the diabetes cohort were similar to those of the ASCVD cohort.

CONCLUSIONS: High cardiovascular risk Japanese patients had frequent treatment modifications, although use of high-intensity statin doses was rare. These patterns may indicate that alternative therapies for lipid lowering are needed.

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