Key result
The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures were associated with a nearly 40% decrease in the initiation of sacubitril/valsartan for new heart failure patients in Italy from March to December 2020.
Why the study?
The study sought to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures on the prescription of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with HF in Italy.
Did the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures reduce the prescription of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with heart failure in Italy?
Observational
Yes
Did the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures reduce the prescription of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with heart failure in Italy?
The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures led to a nearly 40% decrease in new prescriptions of sacubitril/valsartan for heart failure patients in Italy.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Pandemic-related drops in sacubitril/valsartan starts may signal care access barriers; leaves open effects on HF outcomes.
AIMS: The present study sought to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures on the prescription of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with heart failure (HF) in Italy. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data from Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) monitoring registries were analysed. The sacubitril/valsartan monitoring registry is based on 6-month prescriptions. A monthly aggregation on new activations throughout the observational period was computed. From March to December 2020, the initiation of new HF patients on sacubitril/valsartan decreased by nearly 40% with prescriptions dropping to values similar to 2018 when the registry was still operated off-line. A slight increase in prescriptions was observed after the lockdown measures were lifted, but prescriptions remained constantly below the pre-lockdown period. CONCLUSION: A marked and worrisome decline during the COVID-19 pandemic in the activation of a life-saving treatment such as sacubitril/valsartan was observed. This decline was clearly linked to the lockdown measures instated to counteract the COVID-19 pandemic. Upcoming studies should analyse the occurrence of new cases of HF as well as the severity of patients admitted to hospitals and their mortality compared to pre-pandemic levels.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Rosano et al. (2022) conducted an observational in Heart failure. COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures vs. Pre-lockdown period was evaluated on Initiation of new HF patients on sacubitril/valsartan (nearly 40% decrease). The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures were associated with a nearly 40% decrease in the initiation of sacubitril/valsartan for new heart failure patients in Italy from March to December 2020.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: