Title:Efficacy and Safety of Bempedoic Acid in Patients with High Cardiovascular
Risk: An Update
Volume: 22
Issue: 4
Author(s): Ozge Telci Caklili*, Manfredi Rizzo and Mustafa Cesur
Affiliation:
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Kocaeli City Hospital, Kocaeli, Türkiye
Keywords:
Bempedoic acid, cardiovascular risk, side effects, hypercholesterolemia, hyperuricemia, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, statins.
Abstract: Statins play a significant role in the prevention of cardiovascular (CV) diseases (CVDs);
however, non-adherence with statin treatment or statin intolerance (mainly attributed to muscleassociated
side effects) is not uncommon. New agents such as bempedoic acid (BA) can provide
more treatment options. BA is administered orally, once daily, at a dose of 180 mg in current clinical
practice. It can decrease circulating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels by nearly
30% as monotherapy or by 20% as an add-on to statins. CV outcome studies have shown that BA
decreases major adverse CV event risk in patients with established CVD or high CV risk by 13%.
When patients with high CV risk were analyzed alone, the risk reduction was 30%. Its side effects
include a rise in serum uric acid levels and liver enzyme activity, whereas it does not increase diabetes
risk as statins do. BA can be used as adjunctive therapy to statins in patients at high CV risk in
whom lipid targets cannot be achieved or as an alternative to statins in patients with statin intolerance.
