Evolocumab use in clinical practice in Switzerland: final data of the observational HEYMANS cohort study

The HEYMANS study observed patients receiving evolocumab as part of routine clinical hyperlipidemia management. It was designed to capture data on clinical parameters relevant to health authorities and physicians.

This was a European multi-country observational cohort serial chart review study; data on the Swiss cohort are reported here. Patients were prescribed evolocumab as per the Swiss reimbursement criteria in force at the time and were invited chronologically. The study consisted of a 6-month period prior to initiation of evolocumab, a 12-month core observation period (entered by 75 patients, completed by 74 patients), and an 18-month extended observation period (entered by 40 patients, completed by 34 patients). The primary objective was to describe the clinical characteristics of patients receiving evolocumab. Secondary objectives included to describe lipid levels, evolocumab use, and patterns of use of other lipid-lowering therapies (LLT, that is, statins and/or ezetimibe) over time. The study was conducted in the Swiss cohort between May 2017 and June 2021.

Patients who received evolocumab in Swiss routine practice mostly were in secondary prevention (93%) and had a history of statin intolerance (85%) with 53% receiving no background LLT. One-third had familial hypercholesterolemia. Patients initiated evolocumab at a median low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) of 3.6 mmol/L, which decreased by 54% within 3 months to 1.6 mmol/L and was stable thereafter. Overall, 61% achieved the LDL-C goal of <1.4 mmol/L with more patients attaining this goal when they received evolocumab with a statin and/or ezetimibe (84%) compared to 41% when receiving evolocumab alone. An LDL-C reduction of ⩾50% was achieved by 85% of patients. Persistence with evolocumab at 12 months was 85%.

In Swiss clinical practice, evolocumab was mainly prescribed to patients with very high cardiovascular risk, who had very high LDL-C levels. Most patients continued to use evolocumab throughout the study period. In these patients, LDL-C was reduced by >50% within 3 months and LDL-C reductions were maintained over time. Guideline-recommended LDL-C goals for this very high-risk cohort were more frequently attained in patients receiving a combination of statin and/or ezetimibe and evolocumab.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02770131.