Bempedoic acid lowers cholesterol. It is a useful alternative for those who need to lower their cholesterol and cannot (or do not want to) take statins. The news is contained in an important study published in the scientific journal New England Journal of Medicine.
Statins: Most common side effect affects muscles
Statins remain the most widely used drugs for high cholesterol levels. More than 90% of adults who take a cholesterol-lowering drug use one statin. I am considered safe and effective drugs, but there are millions of people who can’t or won’t hire them. The most common side effect is nagging muscle pain.
Bempedoic acid lowers cholesterol: American research
Bempedoic acid is used precisely for the treatment of patients who are intolerant to statins. Although it has received agency approval for the drug for some years, experts had never fully evaluated the consequences of its use on heart health.
The researchers observed nearly 14,000 patients from 32 different countries. All participants were statin intolerant. Generally the problem was just the muscle pains. The working group divided the patients into two groups. The first took bempedoic acid. The second took a placebo instead. The researchers followed the patients for nearly five years.
How does bempedoic acid work?
The drug works similar to statins. It pulls cholesterol out of plaque that can build up in artery walls and interfere with blood flow to the heart. If there is too much plaque buildup, it can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Bempedoic acid is only activated in the liver, unlike the statin. This rules out the muscle problem.
In the study, the researchers found that bempedoic acid was well tolerated, and the percentage reduction in “bad” cholesterol was greater with bempedoic acid than with placebo at 21.7 percent. The risk of cardiovascular events was decreased by 13% with bempedoic acid compared to placebo.
Bempedoic acid lowers cholesterol: useful because it helps patients who cannot or do not want to take statins
“The drug worked in patients in primary and secondary prevention. These are patients who had had a cardiac event and patients who were at high risk for a first event. There were many diabetics. So the drug met expectations and probably did a lot better than a lot of people thought it would,” he says Steven Nissencardiologist and investigator at the Cleveland Clinic and co-author of the study.
Bempedoic acid lowers cholesterol: side effects
There were a few more cases of gout and gallstones in the bempedoic acid group than in the placebo group. “The number is small, and looking at it versus a heart attack, I think most people would say, ‘OK, I’d rather have a small heart attack. gotta“», continues Nissen.
Bempedoic acid had no observed effect on mortality, but this may be due to the observation period being too short. The results of this study are of great importance, because this bempedoic acid drug affects people who were not taking any cholesterol-lowering medicines, even though they needed them.
Statins remain to be preferred
The researchers confirmed that statins remain the gold standard. The purpose of this study was not to replace statins, but to enable alternative therapy for people who simply cannot take them. Bempedoic acid is a much more expensive drug than a statin. There are generic versions of statins, and some cost as little as a few dollars. Bempedoic acid has no generic alternatives and is significantly more expensive.