Management of Dyslipidemia for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction: Synopsis of the 2020 Updated U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guideline.

DESCRIPTION: In June 2020, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) released a joint update of their clinical practice guideline for managing dyslipidemia to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in adults. This synopsis describes the major recommendations. METHODS: On 6 August to 9 August 2019, the VA/DoD Evidence-Based Practice Work Group (EBPWG) convened a joint VA/DoD guideline development effort that included clinical stakeholders and conformed to the Institute of Medicine's tenets for trustworthy clinical practice guidelines. The guideline panel developed key questions, systematically searched and evaluated the literature (English-language publications from 1 December 2013 to 16 May 2019), and developed 27 recommendations and a simple 1-page algorithm. The recommendations were graded by using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) system. RECOMMENDATIONS: This synopsis summarizes key features of the guideline in 7 crucial areas: targeting of statin dose (not low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goals), additional tests for risk prediction, primary and secondary prevention, laboratory testing, physical activity, and nutrition.

PCSK9 Inhibitor Use and Outcomes Using Concomitant Lipid-Lowering Therapies in the Veterans Health Administration.

Background: Real-world data on use of PCSK9 inhibitors (PCSK9-Is), with or without statins and/or ezetimibe, and associated outcomes, can inform more effective prescribing. The objective was to evaluate clinical effectiveness and safety of PCSK9-Is within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we included Veterans who had at least one outpatient prescription for alirocumab and/or evolocumab filled within VHA between August 21, 2015, and September 30, 2020. Analyses included 4 mutually exclusive subgroups: PCSK9-I alone, PCSK9-I+statin, PCSK9-I+ezetimibe, and PCSK9-I+statin+ezetimibe subgroups. Primary outcomes included medication possession ratio, persistence, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Results: Among Veterans in the analytical cohort (n = 2428), 36.2% were on PCSK9-I monotherapy; 24.0% received a PCSK9-I+statin; 27.4% were on a PCSK9-I+ezetimibe; and 12.4% received triple therapy, that is, PCSK9-I+statin+ezetimibe. The mean medication possession ratio (standard deviation [SD]) for PCSK9-I monotherapy was 83.8% (13.3) compared to 84.3% (11.2) with PCSK9-I+statin therapy, 87.1% (10.1) with PCSK9-I+ezetimibe therapy, and 85.8% (11.7) with triple therapy. The percentage of patients who discontinued PCSK9-I in the monotherapy subgroup was 12.3% vs 9.5%, 6.6%, and 7.4% in the concomitant statin, ezetimibe, and triple-therapy subgroups, respectively (p = .002 among the groups). Mean LDL level was greater in the PCSK9-I monotherapy subgroup (85.6 mg/dL) compared with the concomitant statin (66.5 mg/dL), ezetimibe (65.7 mg/dL), and triple-therapy subgroups (68.1 mg/dL). Conclusions: Veterans showed good adherence and/or persistence with PCSK9-I regimens. On average, those receiving concomitant therapy with a statin and/or ezetimibe achieved significantly lower LDL levels.