Contact: Richard H. Chapman, PhD(703.461.1827)
Release Date: 05/23/2005

ValueMedics Research study published in Archives of Internal Medicine
Predictors of adherence with antihypertensive and lipid-lowering therapy.

Chicago, IL -- A study conducted by ValueMedics Research, LLC, published this month in the Archives of Internal Medicine, has found that adherence with concomitant antihypertensive and lipid lowering therapy is poor, with only about 1 in 3 patients adherent with both medications at 6 months. The results show that the percentage of patients adherent with both therapies declined sharply immediately following treatment initiation, with only 44.7%, 35.9%, and 35.8% of patients adherent at 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively.

However, patients were more likely to be adherent if they were taking fewer other medications, initiated antihypertensive and lipid lowering therapy together, or had a history of coronary heart disease or congestive heart failure. “These findings demonstrate the value of simpler medication regimens and simultaneous initiation of treatment when a patient has both hypertension and high cholesterol,” says lead author Richard H. Chapman, PhD, and Director of Health Economics at ValueMedics Research. “We believe these are important findings because of the higher cardiovascular disease risk faced by patients who have both of these conditions, which makes adherence with treatments especially imperative.”

This retrospective cohort study examined 8406 enrollees in a US managed care plan who initiated treatment with antihypertensive and lipid lowering therapy within a 90-day period. Adherence was measured as the proportion of days covered in each 3-month interval following initiation of concomitant therapy (mean follow-up = 12.9 months). Patients were considered adherent if they had filled prescriptions sufficient to cover at least 80% of days with both classes of medications. A multivariable regression model was used to evaluate potential predictors of adherence. The study is available at www.archinternmed.com

“ValueMedics often works collaboratively with researchers from the study sponsor as well as the best academic researchers to ensure that our studies achieve the maximum scientific rigor, while at the same time answering questions that may have important commercial implications,” says Josh Benner, PharmD, ScD, Principal of ValueMedics Research and a co-author of the paper. ValueMedics Research provides integrated and focused research in health outcomes, economics, pricing, reimbursement, and market access, from pre-launch through product maturity.

The study was supported by Pfizer, Inc. The authors were: Richard H. Chapman, PhD; Joshua S. Benner, PharmD, ScD; Allison A. Petrilla, BA; Jonothan C. Tierce, CPhil; S. Robert Collins, BS; David S. Battleman, MD; J. Sanford Schwartz, MD.