Real-World Safety and Efficacy of a Pitavastatin-Ezetimibe Combination Therapy in Taiwanese Patients after PCI

Patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have a higher risk of recurrence. While lipid and glucose control can improve the prognosis, concerns remain about side effects such as myopathy, liver dysfunction, and potential new-onset diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to evaluate the real-world safety and efficacy of dual lipid-lowering therapy with pitavastatin 4 mg/day (P4) and ezetimibe 10 mg/day (E10), hereafter referred to as P4/E10 in post-PCI patients in Taiwan.

The retrospective cohort study enrolled patients who underwent PCI between 2008 and 2021 at two institutes in Taiwan and received P4/E10 combination therapy for longer than a year. The primary endpoint was the overall adverse event rate associated with P4/E10. Efficacy evaluations included changes from baseline in lipid profile and glycemic markers.

A total of 120 patients were enrolled. No adverse events were recorded during the study period. After 12 months of therapy, the average low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level decreased by 32.54% from baseline, and there were decreases in glycated hemoglobin and triglyceride glucose index (-0.40% and -0.23, respectively) in diabetic patients.

In this real-world study of Taiwanese patients, P4/E10 combination therapy was safe and effective in both lipid and glycemic index control. Nevertheless, further large-scale studies are warranted to validate our findings.