Impact of initiating oral anticancer agents for leukemia on adherence to medications for multiple chronic conditions.

INTRODUCTION: Increased use of oral anticancer agents (OAAs) has empowered adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) to manage their therapy, but this shift may complicate medication use, particularly among adults with multiple chronic conditions (MCC). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used 2013-2018 commercial and Medicare claims data to assess medication use in adults with CML or CLL. To be included, patients must have been at least 18 years old, diagnosed with and had 2+ claims for an OAA indicated for either CML or CLL, continuously enrolled 12 months before and after OAA initiation, and treated for (2+ fills) at least two select chronic conditions. Proportion of days covered (PDC) determined medication adherence and was compared for 12 months before and after OAA initiation by Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, McNemar's tests, and difference-in-differences models. RESULTS: Among CLL patients, mean OAA adherence in the first year of therapy was 79.8% (SD: 21.1) and 74.7% (SD: 24.9) for commercial and Medicare patients, respectively; mean adherence for CML patients was 84.5% (SD: 15.8) and 80.1% (SD: 20.1) for commercial and Medicare patients, respectively. Adherence and the proportion adherent (PDC ≥ 80%) to comorbid therapies was generally unchanged following OAA initiation. Consistently unremarkable changes in MCC adherence were observed in 12-month difference-in-differences models, but significant decline was observed in MCC adherence after 6 months of OAA use. CONCLUSIONS: OAA initiation among adults with CML or CLL was not associated with significant, initial changes to adherence to medications for chronic diseases.

Prescription patterns of P2Y12 inhibitors following revascularization in the United States: 2013-2018.

P2Y12 inhibitors (i.e., clopidogrel, prasugrel, or ticagrelor) are effective at reducing adverse cardiovascular outcomes post-revascularization in coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the choice of a specific P2Y12 inhibitor may vary according to the patient's characteristics, and trends in the use of different P2Y12 inhibitors are not well studied in real-world settings. The objective of this study is to determine trends in the prescription patterns of P2Y12 inhibitors in patients with CAD. We studied 137,073 patients with CAD cross-sectionally using the IBM MarketScan database (2013-2018). Patients with CAD prescribed P2Y12 inhibitors within 14 days of index revascularization were included to compare the utilization of P2Y12 inhibitors based on age and clinical characteristics. There were differences in prescription patterns by age. Among patients aged less than or equal to 65 years (N = 92,734), a continuously increased utilization of ticagrelor was observed from 13.7% to 45.6% replacing clopidogrel as the most prescribed medication by 2018. Similarly, ticagrelor was the choice of drug among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Among the patients at high bleeding risk, clopidogrel remained the most prescribed medication with use in 50.6% of patients in 2018 in patients aged less than or equal to 65 years. Contrarily, among the older adults with age 65 or above (N = 44,339), although ticagrelor use increased with time, clopidogrel remained the most utilized drug and was used by 66.2% of patients in 2018. Additionally, clopidogrel was the preferred medication among patients with stroke history. With the increasing use of ticagrelor in real-world practice, further research is needed to observe its impact on cardiovascular outcomes.

Comparative Risk of Hospitalized Bleeding of P2Y12 Inhibitors for Secondary Prophylaxis in Acute Coronary Syndrome After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

In closely monitored randomized controlled trials (RCTs), newer P2Y12 agents (ticagrelor and prasugrel) reduced cardiovascular outcomes compared with clopidogrel following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in acute coronary syndrome. However, these RCTs indicated a higher bleeding risk with these newer agents. This study evaluated the comparative safety of each P2Y12 inhibitor on hospitalizations due to major bleeding in a real-world population. This retrospective, propensity score-matched (PSM) cohort study utilized the IBM MarketScan database over 6 years (2013-2018) to identify incident users of P2Y12 inhibitors with age ≥18 years. The primary safety outcome was hospitalization due to any major bleeding event including gastrointestinal, intracranial, and other serious forms of bleeding. In pairwise comparisons using Cox-proportional hazards models, ticagrelor, prasugrel, and clopidogrel users were compared for the primary safety outcome at 30, 90, and 180 days following the first prescription of P2Y12 inhibitor after PCI. There were 21,719 (ticagrelor vs. clopidogrel), 11,513 (prasugrel vs. clopidogrel), and 11,065 (prasugrel vs. ticagrelor) PSM pairs. Overall, the risk of major bleeding was similar for all P2Y12 inhibitors. Hospitalization for major bleeding was generally lower among ticagrelor users vs. clopidogrel and higher among prasugrel users compared with clopidogrel. Importantly, a 66% higher risk of major bleeding at 90 days is suggested with prasugrel compared with clopidogrel (hazard ratio 1.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-2.48). This study indicated a higher short-term bleeding risk with prasugrel compared with clopidogrel, which concurs with the results of RCTs.

Comparative Effectiveness of Ticagrelor, Prasugrel, and Clopidogrel for Secondary Prophylaxis in Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Study.

Comparative effectiveness evaluation of newer P2Y12 inhibitors (prasugrel and ticagrelor) compared with clopidogrel after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is limited in real-world US populations. The objective of this study was to evaluate cardiovascular events based on ticagrelor, prasugrel, and clopidogrel use in a real-world patient setting. This retrospective cohort study used the IBM MarketScan database (January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2018) to create three propensity score-matched pairs: ticagrelor vs. clopidogrel (N = 21,719), prasugrel vs. clopidogrel (N = 11,513), and prasugrel vs. ticagrelor (N = 11,065). The primary outcome was a composite of myocardial ischemia, unstable angina, stroke, and heart failure hospitalization. These groups were compared in a time-to-event analysis for the primary outcome at 30, 90, and 180 days following P2Y12 inhibitors initiation after percutaneous coronary intervention. Compared with clopidogrel, ticagrelor use suggested a 10% reduction in the primary outcome at 90 days (hazard ratio (HR): 0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.82-0.99). There were no differences for all other matched pairs or follow-up combinations. In the subgroup analysis of females, the results suggested a risk reduction of 27% for prasugrel at 30 days (HR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.53-1.00) and 17% for ticagrelor at 90 days (HR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.70-0.98) when compared with clopidogrel. Among patients treated with bare-metal stents, the results suggested that prasugrel vs. ticagrelor was associated with a 55% and 33% reduced risk for the primary outcome at 30 days and 180 days, respectively. With limited evidence in the United States comparing these drugs, this study helps inform clinicians when choosing P2Y12 inhibitors after ACS.

Direct-acting antiviral retreatment patterns for hepatitis C.

BACKGROUND: Despite the strong efficacy of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) against the hepatitis C virus, many patients require a second regimen of DAA treatment. However, limited research exists to characterize rates of retreatment across different DAA agents or potential factors that may increase retreatment risk. OBJECTIVE: To characterize patterns and predictors of DAA retreatment among a large, generalizable, commercially insured US population of patients. METHODS: Using the IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters data source, this retrospective cohort study examined retreatment patterns among patients receiving DAAs between 2013 and 2019. Descriptive statistics were used to compare patient characteristics predictive of retreatment risk and to examine rates of retreatment in patients initiating different DAA treatments. RESULTS: Among 31,553 DAA users, a total of 1,017 (3.2%) required DAA retreatment. Among the 1,017 patients re-treated, 44 (4.3%) received a third treatment regimen and 2 patients received a fourth treatment regimen. The average total cost for a retreatment regimen was $109,683, with patient out-of-pocket costs totaling $1,287 Patients requiring retreatment had higher rates of hypertension (32.0% vs 26.7%; P < 0.001), diabetes (16.9% vs 11.9%; P < 0.001), coagulopathy (9.9% vs 4.5%; P < 0.001), deficiency anemia (11.1% vs 7.4%; P < 0.001), alcohol abuse (3.3% vs 2.3%; P = 0.038), prior liver transplantation (3.4% vs 2.3%; P = 0.024), and hepatocellular carcinoma (6.1% vs 1.9%; P < 0.001) compared with patients not requiring retreatment. CONCLUSIONS: Although uncommon, some patients receiving DAAs require a second regimen of DAA treatment at substantial cost to both health plans and patients. These patients tend to have more comorbidities and markers of hepatic disease severity. Patients with high retreatment risk may benefit from careful monitoring for occurrences of retreatment.

Maternal ADHD and Perinatal Prescription Stimulant Use.

OBJECTIVE: To describe patterns and predictors of perinatal prescription stimulant use. METHODS: We used MarketScan® commercial claims data (2013-2018) and a repeated cross-sectional study design to assess perinatal use of prescription stimulants. Clinical/demographic characteristics were compared across cohorts of women who continued versus discontinued stimulant treatment at various stages of pregnancy. Associations were tested for significance using chi-square tests (categorical variables) and independent t-tests (continuous variables). RESULTS: Out of 612,001 pregnancies, 15,413 involved pre-pregnancy stimulant use. Of these, stimulant treatment was discontinued prior to conception in 6,416 (42%), discontinued during trimester 1 in 5,977 (39%), and continued into later trimesters in 3,020 (19%). Compared with pregnancies involving stimulant discontinuation prior to conception, those that continued into pregnancy occurred in women who were older (29.9 vs. 28.9 years) and had more severe ADHD (3.1 vs. 1.8 ADHD-related billing claims). CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable heterogeneity in the management of ADHD during pregnancy.

Medication Adherence Among Adults With Comorbid Chronic Conditions Initiating Oral Anticancer Agent Therapy for Multiple Myeloma.

PURPOSE: Increased use of oral anticancer agents (OAAs) has empowered adults with multiple myeloma (MM) to manage their oncolytic therapy, but such a shift may result in issues with medication use, particularly among patients being concurrently treated for pre-existing, multiple chronic conditions. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used 2013-2018 commercial and Medicare claims data to assess medication use in adults with MM. To be included, adults (18 years and older) must have been diagnosed with and had 2+ claims for an OAA, had continuous enrollment for 12 months before and after OAA initiation, and have been previously diagnosed with and had prescription fills for 2+ select chronic conditions. The proportion of days covered metric assessed medication adherence and was compared for 12 months before and after the OAA initiation by Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, McNemar's tests, and difference-in-differences models. RESULTS: The mean OAA adherence in the first year of therapy was 58.3% (standard deviation: 24.5) and 65.1% (standard deviation: 27.01) for commercial and Medicare patients, respectively. Adherence and the proportion adherent (proportion of days covered ≥ 80%) to comorbid therapies generally declined in the first year after OAA initiation. Changes in medication use were particularly noticeable among those on antihypertensive therapy: adjusted analyses uncovered a 2.5% (Medicare) and 5.2% (commercial) difference in adherence to these medications between those initially adherent and nonadherent to OAA therapy (both P < .05). CONCLUSION: Initiating OAA therapy in adults with MM may complicate an already complex treatment regimen, resulting in poor overall medication adherence in patients with multiple comorbid conditions.

Characterizing the reach of comprehensive medication management in a population health primary care model.

INTRODUCTION: As care teams adopt team-based models of care, it is important to examine the reach of interdisciplinary services, such as pharmacists providing comprehensive medication management (CMM). This study examined the reach of pharmacist-delivered CMM in the first 10 months of a population health-focused primary care transformation (PCT). METHODS: Using electronic health record data, descriptive statistics (counts and percentages, as well as means and standard deviations) were quantified to summarize the patients who received CMM in two PCT pilot clinics pre- and post-PCT. RESULTS: Patients who had at least one CMM visit increased from 554 during the pre-PCT window to 880 during the post-PCT window. However, when adjusted for the increased pharmacist full-time equivalents (FTE) included as part of the PCT, 462 and 330 patients/FTE were seen in the pre- vs post-PCT periods, respectively. When calculating the percentage of patients who received CMM, this increased from 2.3% of all primary care patients seen in the two pilot clinics before the PCT began to 4.4% after the PCT was implemented. Most patient demographics remained largely the same between the pre- and post-PCT periods. However, CMM patients seen in the post-PCT period had more medication therapy problems across all medication therapy problem categories compared to patients in the pre-PCT period. Additionally, patients receiving CMM had significantly more conditions and medications and higher hospitalizations and emergency department use compared to the general clinic population. CONCLUSIONS: Reach is an important implementation outcome to determine the representativeness of individuals participating in a given service. This study illustrates that pharmacists providing CMM see complex patients with a high propensity for medication therapy problems. However, opportunities exist to improve the reach of CMM and, in turn, enhance team-based care.