Adherence to Platelet Inhibitor Therapy Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

The antiplatelet drugs clopidogrel, prasugrel, and ticagrelor (Brilinta) are prescribed following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In this retrospective analysis of information in a U.S. insurance claims database, researchers assessed primary adherence (filling a prescription when leaving the hospital) and secondary adherence (refilling subsequent prescriptions) to these drugs by 55,000 patients who underwent PCI from 2008 to 2016. During that interval, prasugrel and ticagrelor were FDA-approved and became guideline-supported (Class IIa) alternatives to clopidogrel after PCI following acute coronary syndrome, whereas clopidogrel remained the drug of choice after PCI in stable patients.

Between 2008 and 2016, the proportion of patien…