Treatment adherence and effect of concurrent statin intensity on the efficacy and safety of alirocumab in a real-life setting: results from ODYSSEY APPRISE.

INTRODUCTION

The phase IIIb open-label ODYSSEY APPRISE study prospectively assessed the safety and efficacy of alirocumab (a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 [PCSK9] inhibitor) in a real-life setting in high cardiovascular risk patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) not at goal despite maximally tolerated dose statins ± other lipid-lowering therapies (NCT02476006). This post-hoc analysis assessed patient adherence to statins and alirocumab, plus alirocumab efficacy and safety, according to concomitant statin intensity and prior ezetimibe usage.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Patients received alirocumab 75 or 150 mg (dose adjustment based on physician's judgment) every 2 weeks (for ≥ 3 to ≤ 30 months).

RESULTS

Of 994 enrolled and treated patients, 58.4% received concomitant high-intensity statins, 18.2% received moderate/low-intensity statins, and 23.4% received no statin; 55.9% received prior ezetimibe. Mean alirocumab adherence (percent adherence defined as injections received/theoretical injections × 100) was 96.6% over 72.4 weeks' mean treatment duration. Mean LDL-C reduction from baseline at Week 12 was similar between statin intensity subgroups (53.6-55.7%). More patients achieved LDL-C < 1.8 mmol/l and/or ≥ 50% reduction from baseline in the ≥ 100% versus < 100% adherent to alirocumab subgroup; high-intensity and low/moderate-intensity subgroups versus no statin subgroup; and prior ezetimibe versus no prior ezetimibe subgroup. Treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 65.2-75.1% and 68.0-76.3% of patients across statin and ezetimibe subgroups, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In a real-life setting, patient adherence to alirocumab was high. Alirocumab provided clinically significant reductions in LDL-C, with most patients achieving LDL-C treatment targets across background statin therapy and prior ezetimibe therapy subgroups.