Clinical and Economic Outcomes of Conversion of Simvastatin to Lovastatin in a Group-Model Health Maintenance Organization

Abstract

A clinical pharmacy-directed program designed to convert patients from simvastatin to lovastatin resulted in substantial expenditure reductions for this HMO and 62% copayment savings for members, without compromise in clinical outcomes as measured by lipid control (effectiveness) and ALT levels (safety). The proportion of patients at or less than their LDL-C goal increased coincident with the conversion from simvastatin to lovastatin.