- A new study has shown that bempedoic acid is as effective as statins in reducing the risk of cardiac events.
- The drug may serve as an alternative to more commonly prescribed cholesterol medications.
- Although these findings are encouraging and bempedoic acid may be beneficial, experts said statins will remain the mainstay of treatment.
- Adopting a healthy lifestyle can also help reduce cholesterol. These include eating a diet low in red meat and saturated fat, avoiding processed foods high in carbohydrates, and exercising regularly.
One of the most commonly prescribed treatments to lower cholesterol levels is statins.
Statins can help reduce cholesterol, but muscle and joint pain are some of the reported side effects.
As a result, researchers are beginning to look for alternatives.
According to a study published in Endocrinology Society Annual Meeting, ENDO 2023, in Chicago, The drug bempedoic acid has been shown to be as effective as statins in reducing the risk of heart events.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as statins, are very important for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The researchers say bempedoic acid could be an alternative to drugs that lower bad cholesterol, but more research is still needed.
For this analysis, researchers tested 13,970 statin-intolerant patients.
The results showed that bempedoic acid lowered LDL cholesterol levels by an average of 21% and reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke, and procedures to unblock cardiovascular vessels by 13%.
Compared to statins, the reduction in risk levels was similar for patients taking bempedoic acid.
“Many cardiologists and other health care providers are encouraged by the results, as there is a growing body of evidence that certain nonstatin cholesterol-lowering drugs can also help reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. Let’s go,” he said. Dr. Wesley Milksa cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.
“I was shocked by the time-average LDL-C reduction of 21%. is.”
Although these results are encouraging and bempedoic acid may be useful, statins will continue to be the main treatment.
“Although bempedoic acid is useful, it is still far from being a first-line treatment for cholesterol and cardiovascular risk reduction,” said Dr. Milks.
“Statins will continue to be the mainstay of this regimen because of the vast body of data supporting statin treatment in reducing cardiovascular disease outcomes and effectiveness in lowering cholesterol. Efficacy may be less than 50%.” Choice of Dose. ”
PCSK9 inhibitors, such as evolocumab and alirocumab, require injections and can lower LDL-C by approximately 60%. So the 20-25% reduction with bempedoic acid is useful but still modest compared to statins and his PCSK9 inhibitors.
But oral bempedoic acid, like ezetimibe, could play a role for statin-intolerant patients who dislike injections, Milks added.
“The drug [bempedoic acid] Safe, effective and proven to reduce the risk of CVD (cardiovascular disease). ” Dr. Chip RabyMedical Director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention at Ochsner Health.
“Statins are pretty good because they can reduce LDL by 50-60%, and the better the LDL reduction, the greater the reduction in events. Then we get an additional 17-18% LDL reduction, and the combined use of bempedoic acid and exesimide gives an additional nearly 40% LDL reduction,” Lavie said.
Heart-healthy lifestyle habits include:
- Eat a diet low in red meat and saturated fat.
- Switching to a Mediterranean diet may benefit your overall health, including heart health.
- Limiting processed foods and beverages high in carbohydrates and focusing on maximizing intake of vegetables, fruits and whole grains can also help, Milks explained.
- Regular physical activity, ideally accumulating at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio per week, can also help lower cholesterol, Milks said.
Soluble fiber in the diet lowers cholesterol because dietary fiber helps trap cholesterol and eliminate it from the gastrointestinal tract.
Some other drugs are also effective in lowering cholesterol.
“Estrogen reduces LDL by 10-15%. Ezetimide alone reduces LDL by an additional 15-20%,” said Lavie. “The oldest drugs, bile acid sequestrants, nicotinic acid and fibrates, all reduce LDL modestly. ~65% reduction.The first two have also proven “reduction in clinical events (I also consulted on these injectables).”
Bempedoic acid has been demonstrated to be as effective as statins in reducing the risk of cardiac events. The study authors reported that the drug may serve as an alternative to more commonly prescribed cholesterol medications.
Although bempedoic acid may be useful, experts said statins will continue to be the main treatment for cardiovascular disease.
A healthy lifestyle is beneficial for lowering cholesterol. These include eating a diet low in red meat and saturated fats, avoiding processed foods high in carbohydrates, and exercising regularly.
