Adherence to lipid-lowering drug therapy among members of the Canadian Forces

Objective: This study was performed to quantify adherence rates to lipid-lowering drug therapy among members of the Canadian Forces (CF) and to identify factors associated with nonadherence. Methods: Pharmacy claims were reviewed for all CF members who received a lipid-lowering drug between April 1 and June 1, 2003. Subjects were categorized as adherent if records indicated consumption of at least 80% of prescribed doses. Logistic regression was performed to assess the impact of patient and drug characteristics upon adherence. Results: Overall adherence rate at I year was 38.5% among all users of lipid-lowering medications. Adherence did not vary among the different classes of lipid-lowering drugs. Duration of service was the only independent predictor of adherence. Conclusions: Despite a relative lack of treatment barriers and the presence of established treatment programs in the CF health care system, long-term adherence with lipid-lowering medications remains suboptimal in this population.