Addressing Statin Intolerance and Expanding Access to Non-Statin Therapies

In this episode, Addressing Statin Intolerance and Expanding Access to Non-Statin Therapies, the cardiovascular experts explore the following questions:

How are you assessing statin intolerance and which providers are prescribing non-statin LDL-C lowering therapies?

Do you believe there should be a bigger role for primary care providers and pharmacists in prescribing these therapies to their patients?

How do you monitor adverse events with non-statin therapies and manage these in clinical practice?

The panelists examined assessing statin intolerance, which typically involves a combination of patient-reported symptoms, laboratory evaluation, and careful rechallenge or dose adjustment to distinguish true intolerance from other causes. Non-statin LDL-C–lowering therapies are often prescribed by specialists, but expanding the role of primary care providers and pharmacists could improve access and timely initiation for eligible patients. Monitoring for adverse events with non-statin therapies requires regular lab assessments, symptom tracking, and patient education to ensure early detection and intervention. Effective management in clinical practice involves adjusting therapy, providing supportive care, and coordinating across the care team to maintain adherence and achieve guideline-directed LDL-C targets.

Throughout the conversation, the experts provide a comprehensive reflection on the field and the factors that may shape how clinicians approach care moving forward.

The next episode in this series, Improving Statin Adherence and Optimizing Combination Therapy, features the panelists advancing their conversation on the prevalence and drivers of suboptimal statin adherence, including pill burden, perceived lack of benefit, and patient engagement challenges. It also explores strategies for determining when to add non-statin therapies or switch treatments to achieve LDL-C targets and maximize cardiovascular risk reduction.