New Findings from Diagnostica Stago in Acute Coronary Syndrome Provides New Insights (Changes in Treatment Patterns and Incremental Health Care…

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New Findings from Diagnostica Stago in Acute Coronary Syndrome Provides New Insights (Changes in Treatment Patterns and Incremental Health Care Utilization Due to P2Y12-Associated Complications in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- A new study on Heart Disorders and Diseases - Acute Coronary Syndrome is now available. According to news reporting originating in Piscataway, New Jersey, by VerticalNews journalists, research stated, "P2Y12 antiplatelet therapy (APT) is highly efficacious in reducing the incidence of ischemic events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS); however, it is associated with several adverse complications. Data on P2Y12-associated complications and adherence to APT are sparse."

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Diagnostica Stago, "To describe the characteristics, frequency of P2Y12-associated complications, adherence and persistence to P2Y12 APT, and health care utilization among ACS patients on P2Y12 APT. This retrospective observational study of the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database identified patients aged >= 18 years who were discharged from an ACS hospitalization in 2012-2014 and initiated P2Y12 APT (ticagrelor, prasugrel, or clopidogrel). The proportion of patients within each treatment group who experienced P2Y12-associated complications within 1 year and who were adherent to APT were determined. Frequencies of all-cause health care utilization (i.e., hospitalization, length of stay, emergency room [ER] visits, outpatient visits, cardiac events, and transfusions) were evaluated for each treatment group. Poisson regressions were conducted to evaluate the association between nonadherence with P2Y12 APT and health care utilization, after adjusting for demographics (age and gender), health insurance type, and comorbidities. Among 11,629 ACS patients, most were male; 44.6% had hypertension; 20.6% had diabetes; and 53.4% had hyperlipidemia. Clopidogrel use was common (62.6%), with ticagrelor use less common (9.0%). Among all groups, approximately one third experienced P2Y12-associated complications. One-year adherence to APT was suboptimal (68% overall), with 73.3% adherence among prasugrel users, followed by 71.4% adherence among ticagrelor users and 65.6% adherence among clopidogrel users. Switching was most common with ticagrelor users. Inpatient hospitalizations, cardiac events, and transfusions were more common in clopidogrel users compared with prasugrel and ticagrelor users. Nonadherent patients experienced significantly more hospitalizations, ER visits, and transfusions (1.34, 1.09, and 1.85 [P <0.05], respectively) compared with adherent patients. These trends of association remained consistent across all treatment groups. Also, patients not adherent to ticagrelor experienced 1.9 times as many cardiac events as adherent patients. However, this association was not significant for clopidogrel and prasugrel users. Patients not adherent to P2Y12 APT experienced significantly lower outpatient visits compared with adherent patients. Complications associated with P2Y12 in ACS patients treated with P2Y12 APT were common, with dyspnea, heart block, and major or life-threatening bleeding as the most common. Adherence was significantly associated with lower health care utilization. Increased adherence to secondary prevention therapy among these very high-risk patients is crucial."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Disease management strategies to improve adherence and reduce treatment-associated adverse events through individualized patient care, alternative secondary treatment options, and physician awareness should be designed, implemented, and sustained."

For more information on this research see: Changes in Treatment Patterns and Incremental Health Care Utilization Due to P2Y12-Associated Complications in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome. Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy, 2017;23(9):947-956. Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy can be contacted at: Acad Managed Care Pharmacy, 100 N Pitt St, 400, Alexandria, VA 22314-3134, USA.

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting A. Vyas, Rutgers State University, Sch Public Hlth, Dept. of Epidemiol, Piscataway, NJ, United States. Additional authors for this research include L.D. Bash, M.D. Patel and R.J. Simpson.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.18553/jmcp.2017.23.9.947. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Keywords for this news article include: Piscataway, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America, Vascular Diseases and Conditions, Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors, Heart Disorders and Diseases, Clinical Trials and Studies, Patient Care, Epidemiology, Acute Coronary Syndrome, Coagulation Modifiers, Drugs and Therapies, Antiplatelet Agents, Clopidogrel Therapy, Fibrinolytic Agents, Myocardial Ischemia, Clinical Research, Hospitalization, Heart Disease, Cardiology, Prasugrel, Diagnostica Stago.