Evaluation of Lipid Profile and Residual Cardiovascular Risk in Patients Prior to Initiation of Niaspan Therapy

Background: Despite significant impact of statins, there are a number of patients with residual risk of cardio vascular disease who have optimally controlled low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Niaspan (extended-release nicotinic acid or niacin-ER) is indicated for its use as monotherapy for the treatment of very high triglyceride (TG) levels and for the raising of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) representing those residual risk populations. The patient characteristics and lipid profile, prior to initiation of therapy, in the real-world clinical setting has not been well documented. Objectives: This study evaluated lipid levels among patients initiating Niaspan in real-world clinical practice. Methods: Patients with a first prescription of Niaspan were identified using electronic medical record data from GE. Lipid values were categorized into optimal and nonoptimal TG or HDL-C levels. Results: There were 89 091 new users. Most patients had nonoptimal TG, HDL-C, TG/HDL-C ratio, LDL-C,...