Evolocumab effectiveness in the real-world setting: Austrian data from the pan-European observational HEYMANS study

BackgroundThis real-world study examined clinical characteristics and dyslipidemia management among patients initiating evolocumab across 12 European countries. Austrian data are reported.MethodsData of consenting adults were collected for & LE; 6 months prior to evolocumab initiation (baseline) and & LE; 30 months post-initiation. Patient characteristics, lipid lowering therapy (LLT, i.e. statin and/or ezetimibe) and lipid values were collected from medical records.ResultsIn Austria, 363 patients were enrolled. At baseline, 52% of patients initiated evolocumab without background LLT; the median (Q1, Q3) initial low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level was 142 (111, 187) mg/dL. Within 3 months of evolocumab treatment, median LDL-C decreased by 59% to 58 (37, 91) mg/dL. This reduction was maintained over time, despite consistently infrequent use of background LLT. LDL-C < 55 mg/dL was attained by 65% of patients (76% with, 55% without background LLT). Evolocumab persistence was & GE; 90% at month 12 and month 30.ConclusionIn Austria, patients were initiated on evolocumab at LDL-C levels almost 3-times higher than the guideline-recommended clinical goal (< 55 mg/dL). Persistence with evolocumab was very high. Evolocumab led to a rapid and sustained LDL-C reduction with 65% attaining the LDL-C goal. Patients using evolocumab in combination with statins and/or ezetimibe were more likely to attain their LDL-C goal and thus decrease cardiovascular risk.