Document Detail


Cardiovascular and Economic Outcomes After Initiation of Atorvastatin versus Simvastatin in an Employed Population Stratified by Cardiovascular Risk.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20802306     Owner:  NLM     Status:  In-Data-Review    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The relative effects of atorvastatin and simvastatin among higher- and lower-risk patients are not well characterized. This study compared cardiovascular (CV) risk and direct and indirect costs among higher- and lower-risk employees initiating atorvastatin vs. simvastatin. Using a large employer claims database (1999-2006), employees were stratified as 1) high-risk employees with prior CV events, diabetes, or renal disorders; and 2) low- to intermediate-risk employees without these conditions. Propensity score matching was used, and 2-year outcomes were compared between matched cohorts. Indirect costs included disability payments and medically related absenteeism. Drug costs were imputed with recent prices to account for availability of generic simvastatin. Among 4167 matched pairs of high-risk employees, atorvastatin use was associated with a numerically lower risk of CV events (17.6 versus 18.4%, P = 0.37), higher direct medical costs ($17,590 versus $17,377, P = 0.002), numerically lower indirect costs ($4830 versus $4989, P = 0.29), and higher total costs by $54 ($22,420 versus $22,366, P = 0.034). The majority of high-risk employees (62%) received low initial statin doses (atorvastatin = 10 mg or simvastatin = 20 mg). Among 9326 matched pairs of low- to intermediate-risk employees, atorvastatin use was associated with a lower risk of CV events (3.1% versus 3.7%, P = 0.030), lower direct medical costs ($8400 versus $8436, P < 0.001), numerically lower indirect costs ($2781 versus $2807; P = 0.12), and lower total costs by $61 ($11,181 versus $11,243, P < 0.001). These results suggest that formulary policies reserving atorvastatin for higher-risk patients may not be cost-saving from the employer perspective.
Authors:
Ross J Simpson; James Signorovitch; Karthik Ramakrishnan; Jasmina Ivanova; Howard Birnbaum; Andreas Kuznik
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  American journal of therapeutics     Volume:  18     ISSN:  1536-3686     ISO Abbreviation:  Am J Ther     Publication Date:  2011 Nov 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2011-11-10     Completed Date:  -     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9441347     Medline TA:  Am J Ther     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  436-48     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
1Division of Cardiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC; 2Analysis Group Inc, Boston, MA; 3Analysis Group Inc., New York, NY; and 4Pfizer, Inc, New York, NY.
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