Patients struggling with the debilitating side effects of taking statins are in trouble thanks to a new cholesterol-lowering pill that lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The drug bempedoic acid was approved by NHS spending watchdogs last year after initial data showed it was safe and reduced harmful cholesterol by up to 25 per cent.
It leads to a 13 percent lower rate of major cardiovascular events, including fatal and non-fatal heart attacks and strokes, according to groundbreaking research presented this weekend.
Looking only at heart attacks, the risk reduction was 23 percent, and patients who took the daily pill were 19 percent less likely to need stenting or heart bypass surgery.
All 14,000 volunteers in the study were statin intolerant – they suffered from muscle pain and weakness, which affects a significant minority who took the pills.
The drug bempedoic acid was approved by NHS spending watchdogs last year after initial data showed it was safe and reduced harmful cholesterol by up to 25 per cent
Patients in the study reported no muscle problems and few other side effects from the new pill.
The data were presented to a packed audience of international heart experts at the American College of Cardiology conference in New Orleans.
Cardiologist Professor Kausik Ray, who led the UK arm of the international study at the Imperial Clinical Trials Unit in London, said: “This is great news – we knew bempedoic acid was safe and lowered cholesterol. Now we know it prevents heart attacks and strokes.”
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death, killing 180 people in the UK every day.
High cholesterol is a major risk factor, affecting up to 60 percent of adults. Experts say statins remain the gold standard for lowering cholesterol levels – they cut levels by up to 50 per cent, cut heart risk in half and cost just £20 per patient per year.
For those who cannot take it, the best effects are achieved when bempedoic acid is combined with other cholesterol-lowering benefits.
Prof. Ray calls it “frustrating” when patients can’t take statins. “That means we may not be able to lower cholesterol enough.”
“By adding bempedoic acid to the mix with other cholesterol-lowering drugs, we’ve halved some patients’ cholesterol levels with no side effects, which is great. Bempedoic acid is the fifth drug we now have that targets cholesterol. None of them are magical – the lowering of LDL [harmful cholesterol] prevent heart attacks, strokes and other disabling cardiac events in any way.
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the UK, accounting for 180 deaths a day (stock photo)
“It’s about how early we catch patients, how low we get their levels and for how long. The earlier, lower and longer, the better.”
Bempedoic acid can be prescribed by general practitioners, so those who need it do not have to wait to see a heart specialist.
Married father of two, Peter Eggle (73), has been drinking bempedoic acid for 18 months and feels “fantastic”. “My cholesterol is the best it’s ever been,” he says.
The former bar owner from Uxbridge, west London, suffered a heart attack in 1994 and was treated with statins but had to stop because of muscle pain and weakness.
He took other medications, but his cholesterol levels remained high and he suffered a mild stroke in 2019.
Now, thanks to bempedoic acid, his cholesterol levels were well within healthy limits last week.
“I’ve had no side effects, and it helps to know I’m at a lower risk of heart attack or stroke,” he says.
Source link
Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
