According to clinical data that was published on Saturday in the New England Journal of Medicine, bempedoic acid given alone lowers cholesterol and heart attacks in those who cannot tolerate statins.
Individuals who have high levels of LDL cholesterol, also referred to as “bad cholesterol,” typically take statin medications to lower such levels, but frequently deal with unpleasant side effects.
According to the study, bempedoic acid therapy was linked to a decreased risk of serious adverse cardiovascular events in statin-intolerant patients.Cleveland Clinic’s Heart and Vascular Institute’s Steven Nissen, the study’s lead author, notes that statin users are more likely to: “7% to 29% of patients report unpleasant side effects that they cannot endure. Muscle soreness is the main issue.”
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According to the researcher, even among cardiac patients “with dreadful histories,” there is resistance to taking statins because of the discomfort they produce.
These group of individuals “The patient complains, “Doctor, I’ve tried various statins but whenever I take a statin, my muscles hurt, or they’re weak, I can’t walk upstairs.” They have undergone multiple myocardial infarctions, occasionally bypass surgery, and numerous stents. I just can’t handle these medications.”By the end of the six-month trial, patients who received bempedoic acid had experienced an average reduction in LDL cholesterol of 29.2 points.
After a 40-month follow-up, patients who had taken bempedoic acid experienced a 23% decrease in the chance of having a heart attack and a 19% decrease in the requirement for cardiac revascularization.
Bempedoic acid has already received FDA approval and is already taken by patients who also take statins, but recent research indicates it may also be useful for lowering LDL cholesterol and lowering the risk of heart attack when taken on its own.
