Worldwide Statins are being prescribed to lower cholesterol but there are patients who cannot tolerate statins. For these kind of patients it become a task for the doctor to advise them or treat them.
A new study confirms that bempedoic acid which was approved in 2020, not only lowers cholesterol but also reduces the risk for heart attack and stroke. So is it right to say that Bempedoic Acid is new alternative for Statins to lower cholesterol?
What was the research about?
Statins have always been the first choice for Americans as more than a quarter above 40 years of age are facing high cholesterol they take Statins in order to lower the cholesterol levels. It was observed that this drug had side effects for some people, while for some it was quite effective.
This totally depended on person to person. According to the new study bempedoic acid which was approved on 21st February,2020 lowers the cholesterol & reduces the risk for heart attack and stroke. It also reduces the chances operations on unblocking of clogged arteries. This new research was published on 4th March 2023, in the New England Journal of Medicine.
What was found during the research?
As per the trial presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology which was held on Saturday. About 13,970 patients were recruited who weren’t able to tolerate statins and hence they were asked to consume Bempedoic acid or placebo on daily basis.
After consuming the non-statins the patient’s average L LDL, or low density lipoprotein cholesterol level was 139.0 at the beginning. But at the end of six months, LDL cholesterol levels had dropped by 29.2 points.
The risk of heart attacks among the patients who took medication had been cut by 23%, while the risk of needing cardiac revascularization was cut by 19%. This was observed at the end of the follow-up period, which lasted upto an average of 40.6 months. The researchers found that, patients who took bempedoic acid had a combined 13% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, nonfatal strokes and nonfatal heart attacks as compared with people from the placebo group.
The new research will encourage more patients to take a cholesterol-lowering drug. LDL, cholestrol contributes to fatty buildups in the arteries, raising the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Therefore Lowering LDL is an essential way of protecting against heart diseases. According to the AHA (American Heart Association), the optimal total cholesterol level for an adult is about 150 mg/dL, with LDL levels at or below 100 mg/dL.
According to Dr. Steven E. Nissen the study’s lead author & chief academic officer of the Heart and Vascular Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. “Statins are the cornerstone of cardiovascular disease prevention, and they are recommended to a large number of people who either have or are at risk for cardiovascular disease.
Anywhere from 7% to 29% of patients experience adverse effects they can’t tolerate. The primary problem is muscle pain. These patients won’t do well if they can’t get their cholesterol down. Bempedoic doesn’t cause muscle side effects because it’s not activated in the muscle and other tissues around the body. Until the medication gets to the liver, it’s not activated at all.”
According to Dr. JoAnne Foody, a cardiologist and chief medical officer at Esperion said that Bempedoic Acid which is made and sold by Esperion either sells it alone or is given along with a second cholesterol-lowering medication, called ezetimibe. The price for both versions are sold at $395 per month.
