A new drug that could become available soon, if approved in the United States and Europe, represents a potential alternative. Bempedoic acid is a novel oral drug that could be taken instead of statins or in conjunction with them, depending on the patient. It blocks a key enzyme made by the body to build cholesterol, and since it can’t leave the liver once it’s activated, it can’t cause muscle pain. RELATED: What You Need to Know About High Cholesterol
Research Shows Lower LDL Levels With New Cholesterol Drug
In a study of 2,230 people drawn from the United States, Canada, and Europe, the drug lowered LDL cholesterol levels by 18 percent after three months. The research was published in March 2019 in The New England Journal of Medicine, and is the first to measure the safety and effectiveness of the drug when compared with placebo in patients with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. It can help both those who can’t take statins, and those who need additional intervention on top of statins or other drug regimens to lower their cholesterol.
New Drug Could Potentially Reduce Treatment Cost for Some
There’s also the cost factor — it’s expected to be in the middle ground between current options. Statins are now available as generics, which are less expensive. But for those who can’t take them, or have had heart attacks or stroke and need stronger intervention, the current alternatives are first eztemibe, which is available as a generic, or the expensive PCSK9 inhibitors for more severe cases. “Bempedoic acid will help multiple groups of people,” says Kausik Ray, MD, study author and a cardiologist and professor of public health at the Imperial College London in England. “On top of statins, some patients are in no man’s land where cholesterol is not low enough but not high enough to get reimbursed (by insurance) for a PCSK9 inhibitor, so this is a huge new option.” RELATED: New Cholesterol Guidelines Focus on Personalized Approach
An Additional Line of Treatment When Statins Aren’t Enough
When used in combination with Zetia (eztemibe), it can help bring down cholesterol levels by 50 percent, as opposed to using only eztemibe, which delivers a 20 to 25 percent reduction, says Dr. Ray. He presented his research this past March at the American College of Cardiology conference in New Orleans. This study was funded by Esperion Therapeutics, a U.S.-based pharmaceutical company that developed bempedoic acid. Not everyone will need the drug, especially if they don’t suffer adverse effects from statins. But when taking statins alone is not sufficient to lower cholesterol, it can be an additional line of treatment. “It doesn’t matter how you lower your LDL, but [it’s more about] how much and how long you keep it low,” Ray said. “Clinicians and patients like and need choice. One size does not fit all.” There is a possibility of increased gout with bempedoic acid, but the study reports no major side effects.
