The drug showed a modest absolute reduction in CV outcomes, relative to placebo, in patients “unable or unwilling” to take a statin.
Bempedoic acid, shown to lower LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c) levels by 17% to 28%, targets hepatic cholesterol synthesis upstream from the same enzyme that statins inhibit. In 2020, the drug was approved for cholesterol reduction in the U.S. and Europe, absent evidence on cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. A manufacturer-funded, multinational, double-blind randomized trial (NCT02993406) has now tested bempedoic acid's effects on CV outcomes in people with a statin indication who were “unable or unwilling” to take one. The study enrolled 13,970 patients (mean age, 65 years; 48% women; 70% with a prior CV event).
About 9% of bempedoic acid recipients and 16% of placebo recipients took additional lipid-lowering therapy. By 6 months, LDL-c had dropped by 2…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardUnited Healthcare; Element Science; Eyedentifeye, F-Prime
EquityHugo Health; Refactor Health; Element Science
Grant/Research SupportPfizer; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Janssen Research and Development, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Cancer Institute; American Heart Association
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardUnited Healthcare; Element Science; Eyedentifeye, F-Prime
EquityHugo Health; Refactor Health; Element Science
Grant/Research SupportPfizer; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Janssen Research and Development, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Cancer Institute; American Heart Association