Nuevos anticoagulantes frente a anticoagulantes clásicos: ventajas e inconvenientes

Therapeutic compliance with rivaroxaban in preventing stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation: CUMRIVAFA study

OBJECTIVE

To assess compliance with treatment with rivaroxaban in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

METHODS

Prospective, longitudinal, multicenter study, developed in 160 Spanish primary or specialized care centers. We included 412 patients treated with rivaroxaban, prescribed for stroke prevention. Three visits were conducted: baseline, 6 and 12 months. Compliance was measured by using electronic monitors (MEMSs) that use a digital record in the form of a microchip in the lid of the drug container that automatically controls its opening and registers the time and date of the opening. We calculated the average compliance percentage (CP), global and daily compliance. We considered compliance to be when CP was 80-100%.

RESULTS

Three hundred and seventy patients ended the study (mean age 75.19, SD: 7.5 years). Global compliance was 84.1% (CI = 79.21-88.99%) and 80.3% (CI = 74.98-85.62%) after 6 and 12 months respectively. Daily compliance was 83.5% (CI = 78.53-88.57%) and 80% (CI = 74.65-85.35%) at 6 and 12 months. Significant differences in the CP between 6 and 12 months were observed. Global CP was 90.77% after 6 months and 89.65% at the end of the study. Daily CP was 90.14% and 87.66% at 6 and 12 months. There were significant CP differences between 6 and 12 months. Non-compliance was associated with a higher number of concomitant diseases, number of drugs taken and weight.

CONCLUSIONS

The percentage of compliance with rivaroxaban was high. A profile of variables that need to be modified in current medical practice, associated with non-compliance, was detected.

[Therapeutic equivalence of the new oral anticoagulants]

In an attempt to minimize the economic impact due to the incorporation of innovative drugs, health authorities have promoted and supported the evaluation and market positioning of drugs, as equivalent therapeutic alternatives. This issue has recently gained importance, possibly due to the current economic crisis. The equivalent therapeutic alternatives are justified by the need to compete on price, and by the authorities recommendation to establish therapeutic equivalence, price and financing of medicinal products at the same time. The establishment of the new oral anticoagulants and the equivalent therapeutic alternatives is a problematic issue if it is based on the absence of direct comparisons between different drugs and the questionable methodology used in the current indirect comparisons. Currently, it is difficult to determine when a new oral anticoagulant is more recommendable than others, but efforts are being made in order to propose alternatives for the decision based on patient characteristics.