Large gaps exist between recommendations and current practice regarding LLT in the population with ASCVD. In our model that assumes no LLT intolerance and full adherence, intensification of oral LLT could achieve an LDL-C level of less than 70 mg/dL in most patients, with only a modest percentage requiring a PCSK9 inhibitor.

Objective National estimates of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in the United States (US) are scarce, especially for patients grouped by cardiovascular risk, lipid-lowering therapy use, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. The objective of this study was to estimate the size of the ASCVD population, including the subgroup at very high risk for recurrent events as defined by the 2018 Multi-Society Cholesterol Guidelines. Methods Patient-level data from the Truven MarketScan Research Database were used and extrapolated to approximate national figures based on known national demographic and ASCVD prevalence numbers. Demographic and clinical characteristics, including LDL-C levels and lipid-lowering therapy use, were captured. Results The extrapolated prevalence of ASCVD in 2014 was 18.3 million, of whom 690,524 had an acute coronary syndrome event in the past year. An estimated 41.4% of patients with ASCVD had diabetes, 44.9% had polyvascular disease, and 23.8% had multiple cardiovascular events. A third of those with ASCVD were estimated to be at very high risk for subsequent events per the 2018 Multi-Society Cholesterol Guidelines. Of those with ASCVD, 74.2% were estimated to have an LDL-C level of ≥70 ​md/dL, and more than half of these patients were neither on statins nor ezetimibe. Only 9.2% of patients with ASCVD and LDL-C ≥70 ​mg/dL were on a high-intensity statin. Conclusions The underutilization of lipid-lowering therapies in general, and in particular the relatively low usage of high-intensity statins among patients with uncontrolled LDL-C (including those at very high risk), suggests that eligible patients for proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor therapy may not be as numerous as previously estimated.

BACKGROUND: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe X-linked progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of ambulation, cardiomyopathy, respiratory insufficiency, and early mortality. Few data are available that describe the direct medical costs among patients with DMD in the United States. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the demographics, comorbidity burden, and direct monthly costs of care among patients with DMD with Medicaid and with commercial insurance coverage. METHODS: IBM MarketScan Commercial and Multi-State Medicaid claims (2013-2018) were used to identify males aged 30 years or under with diagnostic codes for muscular dystrophy or DMD; additional exclusion criteria were applied to identify those with probable DMD. Baseline characteristics and comorbidities were tabulated. The frequency of health care resource use and median (interquartile range [IQR]) monthly costs (in 2018 USD) were estimated from those with at least 12 months of continuous follow-up. RESULTS: Median (IQR) baseline ages were similar between the Medicaid (14 [9-20] years; n = 2,007) and commercial (15 [9-21] years; n = 1,964) DMD cohorts. The frequency of comorbidities over the period was slightly higher with those on Medicaid. The median duration of follow-up was 3.1 years among members of the Medicaid DMD cohort and 1.7 years among the commercial DMD cohort. Median monthly resource use was generally higher among the Medicaid DMD

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