Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains the leading cause of mortality both in the US and worldwide.1<\/sup><\/span> There is substantial evidence from genetic, observational and interventional studies that low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is causally related to the development of ASCVD in a dose-dependent fashion.2,3<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Statins have been shown to substantially lower LDL-C and form the cornerstone of lipid-lowering therapies endorsed by the American College of Cardiology (ACC)\/American Heart Association, as well as the European Society of Cardiology\/European Atherosclerosis Society guidelines, as first-line agents for the management of hyperlipidaemias.4,5<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Despite extensive evidence of statin efficacy and safety,6,7<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0statin intolerance (or perceived intolerance) is common in clinical practice and is cited as a frequent reason for discontinuation or non-adherence with statin therapy.8\u201310<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0This is concerning, as suboptimal statin adherence is associated with an increased risk for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).11\u201313<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n
While the pooled prevalence of statin intolerance according to definitions by the National Lipid Association (NLA), European Atherosclerosis Society, and International Lipid Expert Panel is approximately 9.1%, there is significant discrepancy between the rates seen in randomized controlled trials of 5\u20137% and those observed in cohort studies (up to 30%).14<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Despite data from the SAMSON trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02668016) suggesting that the majority of adverse symptoms related to statin therapy are due to the nocebo effect,15<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0adherence to statin therapy in clinical practice remains challenging. Therefore, there is a role for effective non-statin therapy for LDL-C lowering in the management of ASCVD risk.16<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n
Bempedoic acid is a novel lipid-lowering therapy that works by inhibiting adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-citrate lyase, an enzyme upstream of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase (the target of statins) in the cholesterol synthesis pathway.17<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0By being a prodrug that is only activated in hepatic cells, bempedoic acid is not associated with the adverse muscle effects that have been reported with statin therapy.18<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0As such, the recent Cholesterol lowering via bempedoic acid, an ATP citrate lyase-inhibiting regimen (CLEAR) Outcomes trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02993406) investigated the use of bempedoic acid in high-risk primary and secondary prevention patients who were either unable or unwilling to take statin therapy due to intolerance.18<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0The objective of this review is to discuss the safety and efficacy of bempedoic acid, outline the cardiovascular outcomes trial data, and provide considerations for the use of bempedoic acid in contemporary practice.<\/p>\n
Cholesterol synthesis in the liver occurs via a complex, heavily regulated pathway involving several enzymatic reactions, starting with acetyl-CoA and ending with cholesterol. Bempedoic acid works by inhibiting ATP-citrate lyase (Figure 1<\/span><\/em>),19<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0and thus works upstream of the enzyme inhibited by statin therapy in the cholesterol synthesis pathway.20,21<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0This inhibition leads to a decreased production of intra-hepatic cholesterol, with the subsequent upregulation of hepatic LDL-receptors.20<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0This upregulation of LDL-receptors leads to an increased clearance of LDL particles from the bloodstream and therefore, lowers LDL-C levels.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bempedoic acid is administered as a prodrug that requires activation by a liver-specific enzyme called very long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase-1 (ACSVL1).<\/span>20<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0This enzyme is present in hepatocytes and not present in skeletal muscle cells, therefore allowing for targeted uptake by the liver (<\/span>Figure 2<\/span><\/em>).<\/span>20<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0This preferential uptake by hepatocytes provides a potential explanation for the absence of the muscle-associated symptoms that have been observed with statin therapy.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Bempedoic acid is administered as a simple, once-daily, oral medication at a dose of 180 mg per day or as a fixed-dose combination pill with ezetimibe (bempedoic acid\/ezetimibe) administered orally at a dose of 180 mg\/10 mg once daily.22,23<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Ezetimibe inhibits the Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 sterol transporter in the small intestine, thus decreasing intestinal absorption of cholesterol.24<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Given together, these medications act synergistically to reduce both cholesterol synthesis and absorption, leading to a greater degree of LDL-C lowering than is expected from either medication alone, and similar to that seen in patients taking at least a moderate-intensity statin.25,26<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0For this purpose, bempedoic acid, either alone or in combination with ezetimibe, is a reasonable alternative for patients with statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) who require additional LDL-C lowering. Bempedoic acid can also be used on a background of statin therapy if further LDL-C lowering is needed.<\/p>\n
The efficacy of bempedoic acid for LDL-C lowering was first demonstrated in phase II clinical trials.27\u201329<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0This was followed by the CLEAR trial series, a group of phase III clinical trials that sought to assess the safety and efficacy of bempedoic acid (Table 1<\/span><\/em>).25,30\u201333<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0CLEAR Harmony and CLEAR Wisdom investigated bempedoic acid on top of background statin therapy, while CLEAR Tranquility and CLEAR Serenity included patients with statin intolerance.<\/p>\n
\n \n<\/td>\n | \n CLEAR Tranquility (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03001076)<\/b>25<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n CLEAR Harmony (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02666664)30<\/sup><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n CLEAR Wisdom (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02991118)<\/b>31<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n CLEAR Serenity (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02988115)<\/b>32<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
\n Patient population<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n Patients with statin intolerance or those on no more than low-dose statin therapy with LDL-C\u00a0<\/span>\u2265100 mg\/dL<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n Adults with ASCVD, heterozygous (FH) or both, and LDL-C\u00a0<\/span>\u226570 mg\/dL while on maximally tolerated statin therapy<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n Adults with ASCVD, heterozygous (FH) or both, and LDL-C\u00a0<\/span>\u226570 mg\/dL while on maximally tolerated lipid-lowering therapy<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n Adults with LDL\u00a0<\/span>\u2265130 mg\/dL (\u2265100 if heterozygous FH) who require additional lipid-lowering for either primary\/secondary prevention with a history of statin intolerance<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n Number of participants<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 269<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 2,230<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 779<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 345<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n Baseline LDL-C (bempedoic acid versus placebo<\/b>)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 129.8 mg\/dL (bempedoic acid), 123.0 mg\/dL<\/p>\n (placebo)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 103.6 \u00b1 29.1 mg\/dL (bempedoic acid), 102.3 \u00b1 30.0 mg\/dL<\/p>\n (placebo)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 119.4 mg\/dL<\/p>\n (bempedoic acid), 122.4 mg\/dL<\/p>\n (placebo)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n 158.5 \u00b1 40.4 mg\/dL<\/p>\n (bempedoic acid), 155.6 \u00b1 38.8 mg\/dL (placebo)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n Percent change in LDL-C<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n Placebo<\/span>–<\/span>corrected\u00a0<\/span>percent<\/span>\u00a0change at\u00a0<\/span>12<\/span>\u00a0weeks<\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n -28.5%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n Mean difference:<\/span><\/p>\n
| \n Placebo-corrected mean difference:<\/span><\/p>\n
| \n Placebo<\/span>–<\/span>corrected\u00a0<\/span>percent<\/span>\u00a0change:<\/span><\/p>\n
|
\n Other notable findings<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n
| \n Non-HDL-C<\/em><\/p>\n
| \n Non-HDL-C<\/em><\/p>\n
| \n Non-HDL-C<\/em><\/p>\n
|
\n Adverse effects (bempedoic acid versus placebo<\/b>)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n Increased serum uric acid:<\/em>\u00a07.7% versus 2.3%<\/p>\n Headache:<\/em>\u00a04.4% versus 3.4%<\/p>\n Elevated liver function test:<\/em>\u00a03.9% versus 0%<\/p>\n Nausea:<\/em>\u00a02.8% versus 0%<\/p>\n Sinusitis:<\/em>\u00a02.8% versus 0%<\/p>\n Nasopharyngitis:<\/em>\u00a02.2% versus 1.1%<\/p>\n New-onset diabetes:<\/em>\u00a01.1% versus 2.3%<\/p>\n Muscle-related adverse events<\/em>: 3.3% versus 3.4%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n Nasopharyngitis:<\/em>\u00a09.8% versus 11.7%<\/p>\n Muscular disorders (overall):<\/em>\u00a013.1% versus 10.1%<\/p>\n Myalgia:<\/em>\u00a06.0% versus 6.1%<\/p>\n Muscle spasm:<\/em>\u00a04.2% versus 2.7%<\/p>\n Pain in extremity:<\/em>\u00a03.4% versus 2.2%<\/p>\n Gout:<\/em>\u00a01.2% versus 0.3%<\/p>\n New-onset or worsening diabetes:<\/em>\u00a03.3% versus 5.4%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n Nasopharyngitis:<\/em>\u00a05.2% versus 5.1%<\/p>\n Urinary tract infection:<\/em>\u00a05.0% versus 1.9%<\/p>\n Elevated uric acid:<\/em>\u00a04.2% versus 1.9%<\/p>\n Gout:<\/em>\u00a02.1% versus 0.8%<\/p>\n New-onset or worsening diabetes:<\/em>\u00a06.9% versus 7.4%<\/p>\n Elevated liver function test:<\/em>\u00a01.1% versus 0.8%<\/p>\n Myalgias:<\/em>\u00a02.9% versus 3.1%<\/p>\n Muscle spasm:<\/em>\u00a02.1% versus 1.2%<\/p>\n Muscle weakness:<\/em>\u00a00.4% versus 0.4%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n | \n Arthralgia:<\/em>\u00a06.0% versus 4.5%<\/p>\n Hypertension:<\/em>\u00a04.3% versus 1.8%<\/p>\n Muscle-related adverse events:<\/em>\u00a012.8% versus 16.2%<\/p>\n Pain in extremity:<\/em>\u00a05.6% versus 3.6%<\/p>\n Myalgia:<\/em>\u00a04.7% versus 7.2%<\/p>\n Muscular weakness:<\/em>\u00a00.4% versus 1.8%<\/p>\n New-onset or worsening diabetes:<\/em>\u00a02.1% versus 4.5%<\/p>\n Gout:<\/em>\u00a01.7% versus 0.9%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n \n \n ApoB<\/span>\u00a0=\u00a0apolipoprotein B<\/span>; <\/span>ASCVD<\/span>\u00a0=\u00a0atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease<\/span>; <\/span>CLEAR<\/span>\u00a0=\u00a0cholesterol lowering via bempedoic acid, an adenosine triphosphate citrate lyase-inhibiting regimen<\/span>; <\/span>FH<\/span>\u00a0=\u00a0familial hypercholesterolaemia<\/span>; <\/span>HDL-C<\/span>\u00a0=\u00a0high-density lipoprotein cholesterol<\/span>; <\/span>hsCRP<\/span>\u00a0=\u00a0high-sensitivity C-reactive protein<\/span>; <\/span>LDL-C<\/span>\u00a0=\u00a0low-density lipoprotein cholesterol<\/span>; <\/span>TG<\/span>\u00a0=\u00a0triglycerides<\/span>.<\/span><\/em><\/sub><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n CLEAR Harmony evaluated the safety and efficacy of bempedoic acid in patients with ASCVD, heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), or both over a period of 52 weeks.30<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Prior to CLEAR Harmony,30<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0data regarding bempedoic acid were limited to short-term studies with a median follow-up period of 12 weeks. CLEAR Harmony included 2,230 patients randomized to bempedoic acid or placebo on a background of maximally tolerated statin therapy \u00b1 additional lipid-lowering therapy who remained with an LDL-C\u00a0<\/span>\u226570 mg\/dL. Bempedoic acid reduced LDL-C at Week 12 by 18.1%, Week 24 by 16.1% and Week 52 by 13.6%. At Week 12, bempedoic acid conferred reductions in non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), apolipoprotein B (apoB) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) of 13.3%, 11.9%, and 21.5%, respectively; these reductions were sustained at Week 52: 10.5% (non-HDL-C), 9.0% (apoB) and 16.2% (hsCRP). Overall, bempedoic acid was found to effectively decrease LDL-C, non-HDL-C, apoB and hsCRP in a sustained manner in patients on a background of maximally tolerated statin therapy.<\/p>\n CLEAR Wisdom evaluated the efficacy of bempedoic acid in 779 high-risk patients with a history of ASCVD, heterozygous FH or both, and a LDL-C level\u00a0<\/span>\u226570 mg\/dL on stable, maximally tolerated lipid-lowering therapy.31<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0However, unlike CLEAR Harmony, patients were not excluded if they were unable to tolerate any dose of statin therapy, and therefore patients were included in the trial on a statin or alternative background lipid-lowering therapy. Bempedoic acid significantly lowered levels of LDL-C at a placebo-corrected least-squares mean difference of 17.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 13.9\u201321.0%) at Week 12, and by 14.8% (95% CI 10.0\u201319.5%) at Week 24. Similar to prior trials, there were significant reductions in non-HDL-C, apoB, and hsCRP (Table 1<\/span><\/em>).<\/p>\n CLEAR Tranquility was a phase III, multicentre, randomized controlled trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of bempedoic acid with ezetimibe in 269 patients with LDL-C\u00a0<\/span>\u2265100 \u202fmg\/dL and either had a history of statin intolerance or were on low-dose statin therapy.25<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Bempedoic acid at a dose of 180 mg daily led to a 28.5% (95% CI 22.5\u201334.4%) reduction in LDL-C over the 12 week trial period. In addition, non-HDL-C and apoB were decreased by 23.6% and 19.3%, respectively, and hsCRP was reduced by a median of 33.0%. Overall, the investigators concluded that bempedoic acid was effective in reducing levels of atherogenic lipoproteins, including in patients with intolerance to statins.<\/p>\n CLEAR Serenity was the final phase III trial in the CLEAR series evaluating the safety and efficacy of bempedoic acid.32<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0CLEAR Serenity evaluated 345 patients with a history of statin intolerance and an LDL-C level of\u00a0<\/span>\u2265130 mg\/dL (\u2265100 mg\/dL if heterozygous FH), who required additional lipid-lowering for either primary or secondary prevention. At Week 24, patients receiving bempedoic acid had a 18.9% (95% CI 14.9\u201323.0%) reduction in LDL-C from baseline. Those receiving bempedoic acid demonstrated significant reductions in total cholesterol, non-HDL-C, apoB and hsCRP.<\/p>\n Recently, the CLEAR Harmony open-label extension study was published, providing long-term data (up to 130 weeks) for those initially enrolled in the CLEAR Harmony trial.33<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Of the initial 2,230 patients in CLEAR Harmony trial, 1,462 were enrolled in the extension study. Patients who received bempedoic acid for a total of 130 weeks were found to have sustained LDL-C reductions of 14.2 \u00b1 0.9%. In addition, the mean percent change for additional lipid parameters included a 11% reduction in non-HDL-C, 7% reduction in apoB, 10% reduction in total cholesterol and a median 17% reduction from baseline in hsCRP.33<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n While the majority of the phase III trials evaluated bempedoic acid either as monotherapy or on background statin therapy, a recently published phase III trial evaluated the efficacy of a fixed-dose combination of bempedoic acid (180 mg) and ezetimibe (10 mg) in 382 high-risk patients (defined as having a history of ASCVD, heterozygous FH or multiple ASCVD risk factors) on a background of maximally tolerated statin therapy.34<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0The study was carried out for a total of 12 weeks, and patients were randomized to receive either bempedoic acid\/ezetimibe, bempedoic acid monotherapy, ezetimibe monotherapy or placebo. Patients receiving the combination of bempedoic acid\/ezetimibe observed a 38% placebo-corrected reduction in LDL-C, compared with a 2% increase in LDL-C in placebo arm; whereas, ezetimibe and bempedoic acid monotherapies reduced LDL-C by 23% and 17%, respectively.34<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0In addition, 33.7% of patients in the bempedoic acid\/ezetimibe combination group had >50% reductions in LDL-C. Bempedoic acid\/ezetimibe yielded a significant 35.1% reduction in hsCRP, compared with a 31.9% reduction in the bempedoic acid monotherapy group and an 8.2% reduction in patients on ezetimibe monotherapy. Further, the bempedoic acid\/ezetimibe combination yielded greater reductions in total cholesterol (26.4%), non-HDL-C (31.9%) and apoB (24.6%).<\/p>\n Safety\u00a0data<\/span><\/h1>\nPublished in March 2023, CLEAR Outcomes was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that sought to evaluate cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in high-risk primary and secondary prevention patients who were either unable or unwilling to take statin therapy due to intolerance (Figure 3<\/span><\/em>), and remained with an LDL-C level of\u00a0<\/span>\u2265100 mg\/dL.18<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0It was required that participants signed a written statement acknowledging their awareness that statins reduce CV events, including death, and many patients with statin intolerance can receive a different statin or dose, though despite that they were still unable to take them. A written statement of confirmation was also required by the enrolling study investigators. Patients who were able to tolerate a very-low-dose statin therapy (i.e. daily doses of rosuvastatin <5 mg, atorvastatin <10 mg, simvastatin <10 mg, lovastatin <20 mg, pravastatin <40 mg, fluvastatin <40 mg or pitavastatin <2 mg) were allowed to be included provided that their dose was stable, and background statin therapy was used in 23% of enrolled participants at baseline.<\/p>\n
\n Patients were randomized to either bempedoic acid (180 mg\/day) or placebo and followed for a median of 40.6 months. The primary endpoint was a composite of death from a CV cause, non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), non-fatal stroke and coronary revascularization. Secondary endpoints were tested hierarchically and included the following: a composite of CV death, non-fatal MI, and non-fatal stroke, followed by fatal\/non-fatal MI; the need for coronary revascularization; fatal\/non-fatal stroke; CV death; and death from any cause.18<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Patients randomized to bempedoic acid had a 21.1% reduction in LDL-C at 6 months. At Month 60, reductions in LDL-C were sustained with a 15.9% reduction in patients taking bempedoic acid compared with placebo. The primary endpoint of 4-component MACE occurred in 11.7% of patients taking bempedoic acid compared with 13.3% with placebo, representing an overall 13% relative risk reduction (hazard ratio [HR] 0.87; 95% CI 0.79\u20130.96;\u00a0<\/em>p=0.004). Additionally, there was a 15% reduction in the 3-component MACE composite of CV death, non-fatal MI, and non-fatal stroke, a 23% reduction in fatal\/non-fatal MI, and 19% reduction in need for coronary revascularization. Similar to the earlier phase III studies, rates of elevated hepatic enzymes (4.5% versus 3.0%), hyperuricaemia (10.9% versus 5.6%), gout (3.1% versus 2.1%) and cholelithiasis (2.2% versus 1.2%) were greater in patients taking bempedoic acid. The incidence of myalgias (5.6% versus 6.8%) and new-onset diabetes (16.1% versus 17.1%) were numerically lower in the bempedoic acid group compared with placebo. Tendon rupture was not statistically significant between groups (1.2% versus 0.9%).<\/p>\n Notably, 30% of participants were high-risk primary prevention patients, and the efficacy of bempedoic acid in reducing 4-component MACE was greater in the primary prevention cohort (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.53\u20130.87) than the secondary prevention cohort (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.82\u20131.01), p-value for interaction of 0.03, which may be explained by an increase of additional use of other therapies (such as statins, proprotein convertase subtilisin\/kexin 9 [PCSK9] inhibitors) outside of the trial in the secondary prevention cohort. A\u00a0post hoc<\/em>\u00a0analysis of the primary prevention cohort (66% were patients with diabetes) confirmed a benefit of bempedoic acid in these patients, with a 30% relative-risk reduction and 2.3% absolute reduction in 4-component MACE (HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.55\u20130.89;<\/em>\u00a0p=0.002).38<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0In addition, there were significant reductions in 3-component MACE, MI, CV death and all-cause mortality with bempedoic acid in the primary prevention cohort. These findings reaffirm the potential important utility of using bempedoic acid in the primary prevention setting in patients who are unable to take an adequate dosing of statin therapy needed to achieve desired risk-based LDL-C thresholds.<\/p>\n In contrast to many prior CV outcome trials that have historically under-enrolled females relative to their disease burden in the population, nearly half (48%) of the participants in CLEAR Outcomes were females.39\u201341<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0There was no interaction for the efficacy of bempedoic acid by sex (p-value for interaction 0.89), meaning that this therapy was similarly beneficial in both males and females. Furthermore, females are more likely to have statin-associated symptoms and more likely to discontinue statin therapy for these reasons.42,43<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Thus, bempedoic acid may be a particularly attractive approach to address LDL-C lowering in this population.<\/p>\n Overall, the findings of the CLEAR Outcomes study demonstrate that bempedoic acid is well tolerated and effective in improving CV outcomes in patients with statin intolerance who require further LDL-C lowering. The reduction in MACE with bempedoic acid was exactly in line with what would be anticipated by the degree of LDL-C lowering. Per the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists (CTT) estimation (extrapolated from pooled statin trials), a 0.67 mmol\/L (26 mg\/dL) reduction in LDL-C would have an expected HR for 3-component MACE of 0.85, and that was observed in the CLEAR Outcomes trial.18<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0The definition of MACE in the CLEAR Outcomes trial was nearly identical to that used by the CTT\u2019s meta-analysis for major vascular events, with the exception that the CTT\u2019s definition of CV death was subdivided into those definitely due to coronary disease, and those that were due to sudden death, death attributed to arrhythmia, heart failure, or unspecified cardiac causes.7<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0CLEAR Outcomes did not make this distinction in its definition of CV death, therefore, we cannot differentiate between coronary and non-coronary CV death with bempedoic acid.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the benefits of bempedoic acid may extend beyond its ability to lower LDL-C. Patients randomized to bempedoic acid had a 21.6% reduction in hsCRP at 6 months, along with a sustained reduction of 17.8% at Month 60. This suggests that there may be additional anti-inflammatory benefits contributing to the reduction in MACE, although as mentioned above, the CTT analysis suggests the reduction in MACE was consistent with the LDL-C lowering, and argues against any other pleiotropic effects of bempedoic acid driving the outcome reduction. A post-publication analysis of the CLEAR Harmony trial found that in patients with hsCRP\u00a0<\/span>\u22652 mg\/L, there was no correlation between the ability of bempedoic acid to lower hsCRP and the ability of bempedoic acid to lower LDL-C.44<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0This suggests that its anti-inflammatory properties are independent of its lipid-lowering properties, similar to statins.<\/p>\n The notable side effects of statin therapy, including muscle-related symptoms and new-onset diabetes, have not been found to be associated with bempedoic acid. In the CLEAR Outcomes trial, there was no statistically significant difference in the risk of new-onset diabetes between the two groups. Additionally, the incidence of any muscle-related adverse events and myalgias did not differ between bempedoic acid and placebo (Figure 3<\/span><\/em>). It has been suggested that SAMS may be due to the inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase in peripheral tissues. Outside of the liver, HMG-CoA reductase is also used in the production of ubiquinol, a substrate used in cellular energy production, and in post-translational protein prenylation.45<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0The impact of inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase in these cellular processes is thought to contribute to the development of symptoms such as myopathy and hyperglycaemia. Bempedoic acid requires activation by ACSVL1, which is absent in peripheral tissues. This absence of ACSVL1 in peripheral tissues allows for targeted uptake in hepatocytes and may explain the lack of association between bempedoic acid and these adverse effects. However, bempedoic acid has its own unique adverse effect profile, including elevations in uric acid, increased incidence of gout, cholelithiasis and possible tendon rupture; although an increase in tendinopathy was not seen with bempedoic acid in the larger CLEAR Outcomes trial.<\/p>\n Although the results of CLEAR Outcomes are extremely promising, it is important to note the study\u2019s limitations. First, the trial protocol underwent modest protocol changes.18<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Furthermore, there was a fairly high rate of discontinuation of study drug in both arms (29.1% in the bempedoic acid group and 31.7% in the placebo group); therefore, it may be posited that individuals with statin intolerance may be more likely to be intolerant with taking other medications (i.e. statin intolerance as a marker of suboptimal adherence to medical therapy in general). Nevertheless, despite the discontinuation rate seen in both groups, follow-up in the trial was good, with a primary endpoint available for 95% and vital status for 99% of participants, and analyses were conducted with intention to treat.<\/p>\n In addition, the study protocol allowed for inclusion of patients self-reporting statin intolerance, including those who had only previously attempted therapy with one statin. The National Lipid Association defines statin intolerance as an inability to tolerate a statin dose necessary to achieve patient-specific therapeutic effects, with a minimum of two statins having been attempted.10<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Statin intolerance can be partial or complete, though complete intolerance is less common. Other professional organizations have similar requirements in their published definitions.46<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0In practice, true statin intolerance according to these definitions is approximately 9.1%.14<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Therefore, allowing self-reporting of statin intolerance in patients previously attempting therapy with a single statin reduces the number of participants in the trial with true statin intolerance. Furthermore, the study protocol included both primary and secondary prevention patients, and allowed for inclusion of some patients taking low-dose statins, making interpretation of the study results more challenging but again consistent with real-world experience.<\/p>\n Finally, it is important to note that while the Unites States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated that bempedoic acid be studied as a monotherapy in the CLEAR Outcomes trial, in clinical practice it will likely be used in combination with ezetimibe. This combination has been shown to produce an approximate\u00a0<\/span>~40% reduction in LDL-C<\/sup>, and will allow for patients intolerant to statin therapy to achieve similar LDL-C lowering observed with a moderate-intensity statin.33<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Given the success of the CLEAR Outcomes trial, bempedoic acid will be a welcome addition to the lipid-lowering armamentarium of clinicians who care for these patients.<\/p>\n Considerations for\u00a0use in contemporary practice<\/span><\/h1>\nThere are specific drug\u2013drug interactions and patient populations in which bempedoic acid warrants further consideration. First, bempedoic acid should not be used in combination with simvastatin >20 mg daily or pravastatin >40 mg daily; however, it can be used with other statins.22,23<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0The use of bempedoic acid at higher doses of simvastatin or pravastatin may increase the concentration of these medications, increasing the risk of statin-associated myopathy.22,23<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0Clinical trials have not studied safety outcomes in patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 mL\/min\/1.73 m2<\/sup>, those with end stage kidney disease on maintenance hemodialysis, or in patients with severe hepatic impairment.<\/p>\n There are no data evaluating the risk of major birth defects, miscarriage or adverse maternal\/foetal outcomes. However, based on the mechanism of action of bempedoic acid, the drug may cause foetal harm when given during pregnancy.22<\/sup><\/span>\u00a0As such, it is recommended to discontinue bempedoic acid before pregnancy.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/h1>\nDespite the proven safety and efficacy of statin therapy, the majority of patients require additional LDL-C lowering in order to meet new guideline-recommended targets to effectively reduce ASCVD risk. Furthermore, statin intolerance leads to a large number of patients in clinical practice who are nonadherent to their guideline-directed lipid-lowering therapy. Bempedoic acid represents a safe, well-tolerated, once-daily, oral medication that specifically targets hepatic cholesterol synthesis and improves CV outcomes, especially in patients with statin intolerance. Furthermore, its use in combination with ezetimibe provides substantially greater LDL-C lowering than either therapy alone. As we continue to target lower LDL-C thresholds in ASCVD prevention, bempedoic acid alone or in combination with ezetimibe is an extremely useful adjunct for primary care clinicians, cardiologists, endocrinologists and lipidologists looking to further reduce LDL-C and improve outcomes for their high-risk patients.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains the leading cause of mortality both in the US and worldwide.1 There is substantial evidence from genetic, observational and interventional studies that low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is causally related to the development of ASCVD in a dose-dependent fashion.2,3\u00a0Statins have been shown to substantially lower LDL-C and form the cornerstone of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142327,"featured_media":34717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","vocabulary_1-cardiovascular-disease","journal-heart-international"],"acf":{"wpcf-article_introduction":"","wpcf-article_abstract":"The management of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels is a central strategy for the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Current United States (2018 American Heart Association\/American College of Cardiology\/Multisociety) and European (2019 European Society of Cardiology\/European Atherosclerosis Society) guidelines endorse statin therapy as the first-line therapy for pharmacologic LDL-C lowering. However, in clinical practice up to 30% of patients report partial or complete intolerance to statin therapy. While the nocebo effect with statins is well described, perceived statin intolerance prevents many patients from achieving LDL-C thresholds associated with clinical benefit. Bempedoic acid is a novel, oral, non-statin lipid-lowering therapy that works by inhibiting adenosine triphosphate-citrate lyase, an enzymatic reaction upstream of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase in the hepatic cholesterol synthesis pathway. Bempedoic acid confers reduction in LDL-C of\u00a0<\/span>~18% on background statin therapy,~21% in patients with statin intolerance, and\u00a0<\/span>~38% when given in fixed-dose combination with ezetimibe. The CLEAR Outcomes trial, which enrolled high-risk primary and secondary prevention patients with reported statin intolerance and LDL-C levels \u2265100 mg\/dL, showed that bempedoic acid compared with placebo reduced 4-component major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) by 13% (hazard ratio 0.87, 95% confidence interval 0.79\u20130.96). Bempedoic acid also reduced 3-component MACE by 15%, myocardial infarction by 23% and coronary revascularization by 19%. The benefit was even greater in the primary prevention cohort (hazard ratio 0.70, 95% confidence interval 0.55\u20130.89) for 4-component MACE. Bempedoic acid was associated with increases in uric acid levels and cholelithiasis, but numerically fewer events of myalgia and new-onset diabetes. These findings confirm that bempedoic acid is an effective approach to reduce cardiovascular outcomes in high-risk patients with statin intolerance who require further reduction in LDL-C.","wpcf-article_keywords":"Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease<\/span>,\u00a0bempedoic acid<\/span>,\u00a0cardiovascular disease prevention<\/span>,\u00a0clear outcomes trial<\/span>,\u00a0lipids<\/span>,\u00a0lipid-lowering<\/span>,\u00a0low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.<\/span>","wpcf-article_citation_override":"Heart International.<\/i> 2023;17(2):27-34","wpcf-compliance-with-ethics":"This article involves a review of the literature and did not involve any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.","wpcf-article_disclosure":"Erin D Michos recieves grant support from\u00a0Johns Hopkins University Amato Fund for Women's Cardiovascular Health Research and American Heart Association (946222) and\u00a0<\/span>has served as a consultant for Amgen, Amarin, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Edwards Life Science, Esperion, Medtronic, Novartis, Novo Nordisk and Pfizer. Michael Albosta and Jelani K Grant have no financial or non-financial relationships or activities to declare in relation to this article.<\/span>","wpcf-review_process":" \r\n \r\n \r\n Double-blind peer review.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","wpcf-authorship":"The named authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship of this manuscript, take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, and have given final approval for the version to be published.","wpcf-article_correspondence":"Erin D<\/span>\u00a0Michos<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine<\/span>,\u00a0Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital<\/span>,\u00a0Blalock 524-B, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore<\/span>,\u00a0MD<\/span>,\u00a0USA<\/span><\/span>;\u00a0edonnell@jhmi.edu<\/span>","wpcf-article_support":" \r\n \r\n \r\n No funding was received in the publication of this article.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","wpcf-open_access":" \r\n \r\n \r\n This article is freely accessible at touchCARDIO.com \u00a9 Touch Medical Media 2023<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","wpcf-article_pdf":"https:\/\/touchcardio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/11\/5.-touchCARDIO-D-23-00013_Michos_27-34.pdf","wpcf-article_pdf-gated":true,"wpcf-article_doi":"DOI: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.17925\/HI.2023.17.2.1<\/a>","wpcf-old_nid":"","wpcf-article_image":"","wpcf-editor_choice":false,"wpcf-old_author_ids":"","wpcf-article_references":" 22.<\/span>\u00a0Nexletol (Bempedoic acid)<\/span>.\u00a0Available at<\/span>: www.accessdata.fda.gov\/drugsatfda_docs\/label\/2020\/211616s000lbl.pdf<\/a><\/span>\u00a0(Date last accessed<\/span>:\u00a07<\/span>\u00a0April<\/span>\u00a02023<\/span>).<\/p>\r\n 23.<\/span>\u00a0Nexlizet (Bempedoic acid and Ezetimibe)<\/span>.\u00a0Available at<\/span>: www.accessdata.fda.gov\/drugsatfda_docs\/label\/2020\/211617s000lbl.pdf<\/a><\/span>\u00a0(Date last accessed<\/span>:\u00a07<\/span>\u00a0April<\/span>\u00a02023<\/span>).<\/p>\r\n |