Impact of Active vs Passive Statin Selection for Primary Prevention

Statins can improve outcomes in high-risk primary prevention populations. However, application in clinical practice has lagged. The objective of this study was to compare an active vs a passive strategy (ie, usual care) to statin prescription for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). A total of 3,770 patients ≥50 years of age without a history of ASCVD or statin use were invited to enroll in CorCal, with 601 consenting to participate. These patients were randomized 1:1 to statin initiation guided by the pooled cohort equation or by coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS). Outcomes (2.8-year follow-up) compared patients managed actively vs passively (randomly invited but declined or did not respond). Patient demographics were well matched. Statin recommendation was common among enrolled patients (41.7%). During follow-up, 25.3% of active patients were taking a statin vs 9.8% managed passively (P