Data from: Clinical characteristics and lipid lowering treatment of patients initiated on Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors – a nationwide cohort study

Objectives: Given the novelty of proprotein convertase subtilisin–kexin
type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9i), little is known regarding overall
implementation or clinical characteristics among patients who initiate
treatment. We aimed to assess the total number of patients initiated on
PCSK9i along with a description of the clinical characteristics and lipid
lowering treatment (LLT) of such patients. Setting: A register based
descriptive cohort study of patients receiving a PCSK9i in the time period
from 01-01-2016 to 31-03-2017 using a cross-linkage between three
nationwide Danish registers. Information regarding PCSK9i prescriptions,
patient demographics, concurrent pharmacotherapy, comorbidities, and
previous coronary procedures was identified. Results: Overall, 137
patients initiated treatment with PCSK9i in the study period from 11 in
the first quarter of 2016 to 40 in the first quarter of 2017. The majority
had a history of ischemic heart disease (67.9%) with ischemic stroke and
diabetes mellitus being present in 7.3% and 16.8% of patients,
respectively. All patients initiated on PCSK9i had been previous
prescribed statin treatment with Atorvastatin and Simvastatin being most
frequently prescribed in 53% and 36% of patients, respectively. The
majority of patients had received both statins and Ezetimibe (94.9%) and
approximately half of these patients had also received bile acid
sequestrant (45.3%). Clinical characteristics mainly differed in patients
receiving triple LLT compared to patients not receiving triple LLT in the
regards of heart failure. Conclusion: Patients treated with PCSK9i were
rare, characterized by having ischemic heart disease and had received
various and intensive conventional LLT prior to PCSK9i initiation in
agreement with current international guidelines.