Prescription register study – lipid-lowering treatment

In this study, national data from the prescription register on lipid-lowering treatment were analyzed. The first phase of the study focused on the utilization of key cholesterol-lowering medications such as statins, ezetimibe, and PCSK9 inhibitors from 2010 to 2019. The study examined the duration of treatment, assessing the percentage of patients who remained on the medication for over 90, 180, and 365 days, as well as the proportion of individuals who were prescribed less medication than required to cover at least 80% of treatment days.

The second phase of the study specifically investigated the prescription and dispensing patterns of PCSK9 inhibitors, which are newer, more costly cholesterol-lowering drugs introduced to the market in 2015 until August 2023. This portion of the study aimed to track the prescribing trends of PCSK9 inhibitors and evaluate any changes in the utilization of other cholesterol-lowering drugs following the initiation of PCSK9 inhibitors.