Treatment Algorithms: Dyslipidemia – Statin monotherapies dominate the market but uncontrolled lipid levels remain an issue

Datamonitor estimates the antidyslipidemic drug-treated population at 73.5 million patients across the seven major markets, with the majority having high cholesterol as opposed to hypertriglyceridemia alone. Statins are the dominant treatment for high cholesterol while fibrates are more used for hypertriglyceridemia. Lipid control is an unmet need in a high proportion of drug-treated patients.

Features and benefits

• Follow patient segmentation and treatment pathways for dyslipidemia across the seven major markets.
• Gain insight into the most commonly used therapies for pure hypercholesterolemia, pure hypertriglyceridemia, and mixed hyperlipidemia.
• Understand prescribing trends and their affect on treatment regimens.
• Identify unmet needs, especially within dyslipidemic sub-populations, which represent market opportunities.
• Understand the impact of generic entry on the antidyslipidemic market.

Highlights

Not all patients are available for drug therapy due to the low diagnosis rate, low compliance rates, and therapeutic lifestyle management as the first line of treatment. Only 43% of dyslipidemia patients are reported diagnosed within the seven major markets.

The type of dyslipidemia that a patient is diagnosed with impacts on the treatment regimen used. Statin monotherapy dominates where the target lipid is low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. This is due to statins’ superior proven efficacy in lowering both target lipid levels and cardiovascular disease risk.

Three months after the Lipitor went off patent in the US, primary care physicians were prescribing generics to 35% of their atorvastatin-treated patients, with some patients being switched from other branded statin Crestor. Brand erosion is likely to increase with further generic competition.

Your key questions answered

• Which antidyslipidemics drug classes and molecules are prescribed for each dyslipidemia subgroup in each of the seven major markets?
• What factors influence physician prescribing decisions?
• What are the highest priority needs in the Dyslipidemia market?
• What impact will generic atorvastatin have on physician prescribing of Lipitor (atorvastatin, Pfizer) and Crestor (rosuvastatin, AstraZeneca)?
• What co-morbidities and co-indications are prevalent in dyslipidemia patients to impact prescribing decisions?