Effect of patient and treatment factors on persistence with antihypertensive treatment: A population-based study.

Purpose: To analyze patterns of antihypertensive drug use among new users in a Southern European population, and identify patient- and treatment-related factors that influence persistence.

Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of new antihypertensive drug users aged ≥40 years in Aragón, Spain. Information on antihypertensive drugs (2014-2016) prescribed and dispensed at pharmacies via the public health system were collected from a regional electronic population-based pharmacy database.

Different approaches to the assessment of adherence and persistence with cardiovascular-disease preventive medications.

Objective: To assess suitability and comparability of the most common methods of treatment adherence and persistence assessment, as applied to the same pharmacy dataset.

Methods: Data on drugs prescribed for cardiovascular primary prevention to participants in the Aragon Workers' Health Study (AWHS) were collected from a regional electronic drug prescription database. Several different approaches were used to measure treatment adherence (with the medication possession ratio [MPR]) and proportion of days covered [PDC]) and persistence in new users by therapeutic subgroup.