Dyslipidemia (in Statin-Treated Patients) | Decision Base | US/EU | 2014

Do Physicians Have High Hopes for LDL-Lowering Therapies in Cardiovascular Outcomes?

As one of the most prevalent diseases in the major pharmaceutical markets, dyslipidemia represents a compelling commercial opportunity for drug manufacturers. The excellent efficacy and safety profile of statins and their increasing availability as generics mean that this class will continue to dominate early lines of therapy. However, in statin-intolerant patients, or when these agents fail to sufficiently reduce the main target (blood plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C] levels), additional therapies are often required. Current statin add-on therapies suffer from a lack of outcomes data from large randomized, controlled trials and demonstrate only moderate success in terms of further reduction of LDL-C levels.

Given the close link between dyslipidemia and atherosclerotic diseases and cardiovascular death, physicians desire agents not only with greater LDL-C-reducing abilities but also with a proven impact in cardiovascular outcomes trials (CVOTs). Thought leaders are excited about the arrival of two novel antidyslipidemic drug classes, the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors and the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors, which have the potential to fulfill this unmet need. Another drug class being investigated in CVOTs is the prescription omega-3 acid ethyl esters. This report compares current and emerging therapies used alongside statins to treat dyslipidemia, identifies remaining areas of unmet need, and provides the opportunity to model different target product profile scenarios and forecast uptake of these profiles based on primary research.