- Researchers are promoting a research study that they state programs that the cardiovascular advantages of bempedoic acid are similar to those obtained from statins.
- They state the findings show that bempedoic acid can be utilized as an option to statins for individuals who don’t endure those drugs well.
- Experts state more research study is required and, in the meantime, statins need to be thought about as the very first choice for dealing with high cholesterol levels.
Researchers are reporting that they might have the ability to use an option to statins to manage cholesterol levels.
They are basing their conclusions on a research study that concluded that bempedoic acid (Nexletol) lowers the threat of heart occasions as much as statins.
The research study, which hasn’t been released yet in a peer-reviewed journal, existed today at the ENDO 2023 conference, the yearly conference of the Endocrine Society.
Researchers evaluated information from the CLEAR Outcomes trial, that included 13,970 individuals with or at high threat for heart disease who were intolerant to statins.
In that research study, individuals were offered bempedoic acid for high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels.
Some of the findings from the CLEAR Outcomes trial consisted of:
- LDL levels were lowered by approximately 21%.
- Cardiovascular occasions (cardiac arrest, stroke, obstructed capillary) were lowered by 13%.
The researchers state they anticipate these outcomes to enhance with continued usage.
“It is important to note that this is not a study per se,” said Dr. Yu-Ming Ni, a cardiologist at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in California.
“The researchers used data from the CLEAR Outcomes trial and pulled the data on bempedoic acid rather than statins,” Ni explained to Medical News Today. “The CLEAR Outcomes trial also compiled several studies that agreed to share their results. The current information is important and helpful but was not a controlled study.”
The scientists compared bempedoic acid to placebo usage. It isn’t clear if the outcomes resemble the threat decrease from taking statins. However, compared to previous understanding of statin usage, they state the outcomes are similar.
“Benpedoic acid is like statins in that both are cholesterol-lowering drugs,” said Dr. Nicole Weinberg, a cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in California.
“In my clinical experience, bempedoic acid is less effective than statins. I see statins as the first choice and bempedoic acid as a second-level drug,” she informed Medical News Today.
Esperion Therapeutics, the producer of bempedoic acid, moneyed this research study.
The scientists state the outcomes recommend that various cholesterol-lowering drugs can have comparable advantages for cardiovascular health and can use individuals, specifically those who are intolerant to statins, an option.
“I am pleased that the CLEAR Outcomes study has shown again that there are not only cholesterol-lowering but also cardiovascular event reduction benefits to a non-statin medication,” said Dr. Michael Wesley Milks, a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
“This particular analysis suggests that the degree of cardiovascular risk reduction is comparable to that of statins for a given amount of LDL cholesterol reduction,” he informed Medical News Today. “While these data are encouraging, it is noteworthy that they are basing this conclusion on the per-protocol (ie, as-treated) analysis, which is not considered as rigorous for demonstrating benefit as an intention-to-treat methodology.”
Statins are prescription medications that work to reduce cholesterol levels.
They can avoid or decrease the threat of cardiac arrest or stroke. The longer somebody takes statins, the much better they work. Statins are the most typically recommended drugs to lower cholesterol.
Statins do have negative effects that can avoid individuals from taking them. The most typical adverse effects is muscle pains.
“Statins can cause muscle soreness or aches,” Weinberg said. “Sometimes it can slow healing of muscle injury. If you experience pain and discomfort daily, you might not want to take the medication. Bempedoic acid offers people a choice.”
Bempedoic acid is a reasonably brand-new medication.
It can be taken alone or in mix with statins or ezetimibe. Typically, statins are the very first line of substance abuse, and if they are ineffective or the client is not able to endure the medication, ezetimibe or bempedoic acid can be included or utilized alone.
“[Bempedoic acid] is a medication designed to lower cholesterol without being metabolized in the muscles, therefore reducing the potential for adverse effects on muscles,” said Dr. Jeffrey Tyler, an interventional cardiologist with Providence St. Joseph Hospital in California.
“I think this is a reasonable medication for statin-intolerant patients as it lowers the risk of cardiovascular events,” he informed Medical News Today. “This medication has a slightly higher risk of gout, which may limit its use in some patients. I think statins will remain the cornerstone of cholesterol-lowering therapy given the large evidence base of their benefit for cardiovascular disease.”
Milks mentions that there are constraints to bempedoic acid, especially that it does not supply the exact same level of security as other treatments.
“It is worth mentioning that the LDL-C lowering effect of bempedoic acid is less potent than certain other longer-established drugs, particularly PCSK9 inhibitors (e.g. evolocumab, alirocumab) which can lower LDL-C by approximately 60 percent, although [they] require use of injections,” he said. “In the CLEAR OUTCOMES trial of bemepdoic acid, LDL-C lowering was around 20 percent, which is similar to that of ezetimibe, a non-statin oral medication that is available as a generic formulation and thus remains more cost favorable for most of my patients who need non-statin cholesterol-lowering medications.”
Even though statins will most likely stay the very first line of treatment, having alternatives advantages individuals with heart disease who are at high threat of cardiac arrest or stroke.
“Like diabetes, there might not be one magic bullet,” Weinberg said. “Some people might need a combination of drugs to reach their goal. Bempedoic acid adds to the arsenal of drugs to lower cholesterol.”
Ni concurs.
“I would be much more willing to try bempedoic acid than before the CLEAR Outcomes trial came out and I have used it since then,” he said. “Based on this information, it appears to be a good second option. I am interested in discovering how real-life data comes out as prescribed more often.”
“If someone has a history of heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular disease, and they find statins are not working, they should talk with their doctor about additions or alternatives, such as ezetimibe or bempedoic acid,” Ni included.
Dr. Aeshita Dwivedi, a cardiologist at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, is likewise careful about utilizing bempedoic acid.
“In selected cases yes this drug would be helpful,” she informed Medical News Today. “However given the lack of long term data and impact on mortality, it should be used in caution.”
