Persistence to statin treatment: A cohort study in Lithuania

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Pharmacoeconomics

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a leading cause of mortality globally.
• Statins are crucial for reducing vascular event risk, yet adherence remains a challenge.
• Lithuania faces high CVD mortality despite increased statin use, with limited data from Eastern Europe.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess treatment persistence among new statin users in Lithuania.
• To identify factors influencing statin therapy persistence in this population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of dispensed statin prescriptions for patients aged over 18 initiated in 2018-2019.
• Data sourced from the national health insurance fund.
• Persistence defined as continuous statin dispensing for one year; logistic regression used for factor analysis.

Main Results:

• 104,726 new statin users were included; only 41% demonstrated persistence at one year.
• Factors associated with higher persistence included older age, higher statin dosage, concurrent medication use, and secondary CVD prevention.
• Significant low persistence rates underscore a critical public health issue.

Conclusions:

• Low statin persistence in Lithuania poses a significant challenge to cardiovascular disease management.
• Healthcare providers, pharmacists, and policymakers must address factors contributing to poor adherence.
• Interventions are needed to improve long-term statin use and reduce CVD mortality.