Both payer-rejected and patient-abandoned prescriptions are linked to a small increased cardiovascular risk.
Proprotein convertase subtilisin–kexin type 9 inhibitor (PCSK9i) drugs reduce cardiovascular (CV) risk in patients with established CV disease. Despite the strong trial evidence, PCSK9i use in the U.S. has been impeded in part by payers' rejections. In a study indirectly funded by industry, investigators sought to determine how rejected or abandoned PCSK9i prescriptions affect CV risks.
The study used a private company's healthcare claims dataset (N=221,138,729), consisting of diagnosis, procedure, prescription claims, and demographic information (including education and income) but lacking laboratory data or clinical information, such as blood pressure. There were 139,036 patients prescribed a PCSK9i who had follow-up information (mean age,…
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DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardUnited Healthcare; Element Science; Eyedentifeye, F-Prime
EquityHugo Health; Refactor Health; Element Science
Grant/Research SupportPfizer; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Janssen Research and Development, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Cancer Institute; American Heart Association
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardUnited Healthcare; Element Science; Eyedentifeye, F-Prime
EquityHugo Health; Refactor Health; Element Science
Grant/Research SupportPfizer; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Janssen Research and Development, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Cancer Institute; American Heart Association