Table. Utilization of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol–Lowering Therapies and Associated Cost Among Medicare Part D Beneficiaries From 2014 to 2018.
| Drug name | Brand-name or generic formulation | Years analyzed | Beneficiaries, No. in thousands | Total spending, $ in millionsa | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First full year of availability | 2018 | Average annual change, % | First full year of availability | 2018 | Average annual change, % | |||
| Statin therapies | ||||||||
| Lipitor (atorvastatin) | Brand-name | 2014-2018 | 39.3 | 24.0 | −10 | 54.2 | 75.8 | 11 |
| Atorvastatin calcium | Generic | 2014-2018 | 6741.2 | 11 863.3 | 15 | 828.1 | 881.1 | 2 |
| Lescol XL (fluvastatin ER) | Brand-name | 2014-2018 | 10.7 | 0.8 | −45 | 19.2 | 2.1 | −40 |
| Fluvastatin ER | Generic | 2016-2018 | 5.2 | 4.6 | −6 | 7.2 | 6.2 | −7 |
| Fluvastatin sodium | Generic | 2014-2018 | 10.2 | 8.1 | −6 | 9.0 | 6.7 | −7 |
| Altoprev (lovastatin) | Brand-name | 2014-2018 | 1.1 | 0.4 | −20 | NAb | 2.2 | NA |
| Lovastatin | Generic | 2014-2018 | 1226.8 | 1016.7 | −5 | 93.2 | 54.1 | −12 |
| Pravachol (pravastatin) | Brand-name | 2014-2018 | 2.0 | 1.3 | −11 | 2.4 | 1.6 | −9 |
| Pravastatin sodium | Generic | 2014-2018 | 3031.2 | 2920.4 | −1 | 499.6 | 307.7 | −11 |
| Crestor (rosuvastatin) | Brand-name | 2014-2018 | 1752.7 | 56.1 | −43 | 2832.6 | 77.3 | −44 |
| Rosuvastatin calciumc | Generic | 2016-2018 | 1224.0 | 2705.7 | 50 | 382.8 | 527.3 | 22 |
| Zocor/FloLipid (simvastatin) | Brand-name | 2014-2018 | 6.1 | 1.8 | −25 | 8.3 | 3.3 | −19 |
| Simvastatin | Generic | 2014-2018 | 6769.3 | 5531.7 | −5 | 377.4 | 208.3 | −13 |
| Livalo/Zypitamag (pitavastatin) | Brand-name | 2014-2018 | 57.4 | 71.3 | 6 | 58.5 | 135.1 | 23 |
| All brand-name statins (aggregate) | Brand-name | 2014-2018 | 1869.3 | 155.7 | −36 | 2975.2 | 297.5 | −33 |
| All generic statins (aggregate) | Generic | 2014-2018 | 17 778.6 | 24 050.4 | 8 | 1807.3 | 1991.3 | 3 |
| Cholesterol absorption inhibitors | ||||||||
| Zetia (ezetimibe) | Brand-name | 2014-2018 | 687.4 | 28.8 | −34 | 1152.6 | 36.5 | −30 |
| Ezetimibe | Generic | 2017-2018 | 586.1 | 798.7 | 36 | 461.9 | 392.7 | −15 |
| Combinations | ||||||||
| Vytorin (ezetimibe/simvastatin) | Brand-name | 2014-2018 | 199.1 | 8.6 | −41 | 329.3 | 17.8 | −39 |
| Ezetimibe/simvastatin | Generic | 2018 | NAb | 70.5 | NA | NAb | 71.8 | NA |
| PCSK9 inhibitors | ||||||||
| Praluent (alirocumab) | Brand-name | 2016-2018 | 15.9 | 24.1 | 23 | 102.1 | 211.9 | 46 |
| Repatha (evolocumab) | Brand-name | 2016-2018 | 9.7 | 38.4 | 101 | 61.5 | 278.8 | 115 |
Abbreviations: NA, not applicable; PCSK9, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9.
a
Annual spending and savings were adjusted for inflation and reported in 2018 US dollars.
b
Data not reported in Medicare data set.
c
Rosuvastatin calcium was available starting in the second quarter of 2016.