A study was conducted to determine the cost and patient adher- ence rates of lipid-lowering therapy with an extended-release niacin and lovastatin (ERNL) combination agent versus a separate extended-release niacin and statin (ERN-S) combination or statin monotherapy.
METHODS The study methods were as follows:
CONCLUSIONS
Editors' Note: This study was originally presented as a poster at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Educational Conference, October 13–16, 2004, in Baltimore, Md.
Dr LaFleur is an outcomes fellow at the Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Center at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy, Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr LaFleur can be reached at joanne.lafleur@pharm.utah.edu
. Mr Thompson is a research assistant at the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, University of Utah. Dr Ho is a Medco Outcomes fellow at the Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Center at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy. Mr Stockdale is a research assistant professor in the Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Center, University of Utah. Dr Charland is associate director of Health Economics and Outcomes, Kos Pharmaceuticals, and an adjunct associate professor at the University of Colorado in Denver, Colo. Dr Oderda is director of the Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Center and a professor at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy. Dr Brixner is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacotherapy at the University of Utah and executive director of the Pharmacotherapy Outcomes Research Center at the University of Utah College of Pharmacy.
REFERENCES 1. Blandford L, Dans PE, Ober JD, Wheelock C. Analyzing variations in medication compliance related to individual drug, drug class, and prescribing physician. J Managed Care Pharm. 1999;5:47–51.
2. Benner JS, Glynn RJ, Mogun H, et al. Long-term persistence in use of statin therapy in elderly patients. JAMA. 2002;288:455–461.
3. Diggle PJ, Heagerty P, Liang KY, Zeger SJ. Analysis of Longitudinal Data. 2nd ed. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press; 2002.
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