"Two keys to improving statin adherence: Communicate, simplify regimens" - Janel Miller
Some in the medical community were initially skeptical of the first statin to win FDA approval, according to a history of the medication published in Heart Views. Now, 32 years later, research suggests it is patients who are reluctant to fully embrace statin use. With CVD being one of the leading causes of death in the United States, statin adherence may be one of the most important conversations a physician can have with a patient who is at risk. “The reality is that nonadherence to secondary CV medication has tremendous health impact and economic costs,” Joseph M. Castellano, MD, PhD, assistant professor of neuroscience at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and colleagues added. “In fact, 37% of all myocardial infarctions in the United States in 2013 were recurrences, and, with this understanding, strategies that improve adherence will have an important effect on mitigating, at least in part, the CVD burden.”
—Joseph M. Castellano, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai