No abstract

Early and frequent follow-up by physicians--especially lipid testing--was associated with improved adherence to lipid-lowering therapy. A randomised prospective study is needed to determine whether this relationship is causal.

No abstract

To identify patients with HTN, a selection rule using both a diagnosis and prescription claim has greater sensitivity and specificity than a rule using a diagnosis claim only.

Greater reduction in LDL cholesterol levels during the first three months of statin therapy was associated with greater adherence to lipid-lowering drug therapy.

Rosuvastatin was more effective than other statins in reducing LDL, triglyceride (except vs atorvastatin), and total cholesterol levels. Significantly more patients taking rosuvastatin than patients taking other statins attained their LDL goals.

Patients treated with glargine had significantly lower hypoglycemia event rates compared to the NPH group. The risk difference indicated that one hypoglycemia event would be avoided for every nine patients treated with glargine instead of NPH. The cost increase associated with treating nine patients with glargine rather than NPH is less than the cost of treating one hypoglycemia event. In this population, the savings associated with reduced hypoglycemic events more than offset the increased acquisition cost associated with glargine.

Adherence was significantly higher among patients receiving SPC than MPC. Although only associations and not temporality were assessed due to the observational design of this study, the use of SPC may be a successful method for improving adherence in a real-world setting.