Lipid Management: High-Intensity Statins, Ezetimibe and PCSK9 inhibitors

In 2019, 45.6% and 20.7% of London ‘years lived with disability’ (YLD) following CHD or stroke respectively were attributed to high LDL cholesterol¹. The Rapid Uptake Product for lipid management is a novel, NICE-approved clinical pathway, aiming to improve people’s lipid profiles.

Lipid Management: High-Intensity Statins, Ezetimibe and PCSK9 inhibitors is one of the NHS England Accelerated Access Collaborative’s Rapid Uptake Products (RUP). This innovation focuses on reducing cholesterol concentration in blood by treating patients with the right medicine or lifestyle advice along the evidence-based pathway. The pathway includes three medicines: high intensity statins (HIST), ezetimibe, and PCSK9 inhibitors, with further innovative therapies for secondary prescribing expected in 2021.

In south London, the HIN will support primary care in identifying patients at greatest risk and optimising their treatment through appropriate therapies, including HIST and ezetimibe, as well as the implementation of local pathways for referral to secondary care, and possible treatment with PCSK9 inhibitors or other therapies where appropriate.

Please click here to see the NICE endorsed lipid management pathway and here to see the statin intolerance pathway.

Through 20/21 we will work with south London CCGs and PCNs to incorporate innovative patient identification tools, to make the job of finding high-risk patients in primary care easier.

¹ GBD Visualisation Tool, Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. [vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/#] [Accessed: November 2020]