Study: Alternative to statins reduces heart attack risks
Drugs known as statins are the first-choice treatment for high cholesterol but millions of people who can’t or won’t take those pills because of side effects may have another option.
In a major study, a different kind of cholesterol-lowering drug named Nexletol reduced the risk of heart attacks and some other cardiovascular prob- lems in people who can’t tolerate statins, research- ers reported Saturday.
Doctors already prescribe the drug, known chemically as bempedoic acid, to be used together with a statin to help certain highrisk patients further lower their cholesterol. The new study tested Nexletol with- out the statin combination -and offers the first evidence that it also reduces the risk of cholesterol-caused health problems.
Statins remain “the cor- nerstone of cholesterol-lowering therapies,” stressed Dr. Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who led the study.
But people who can’t take those proven pills “are very needy patients, they’re extremely difficult to treat,” he said. This option “will have a huge impact on pub- lic health.”
Too much so-called LDL or “bad” cholesterol can clog arteries and lead to heart attacks and strokes. Statin pills like Lipitor and Crestor — or their cheap generic equivalents — are the mainstay for lowering LDL cholesterol and preventing heart disease or treating those who already have it. They work by blocking some of the liver’s cholesterol production.
But some people suffer serious muscle pain from statins. While it’s not clear exactly how often that occurs, by some estimates 10% of people who’d otherwise qualify for the pills can’t or won’t take them. They have limited options, including pricey cholesterol-lowering shots and another kind of pill sold as Zetia.
Nexletol also blocks cholesterol production in the liver but in a different way than statins and without that muscle side effect.
The new five-year study tracked nearly 14,000 people who were unable to tolerate more than a very low dose of a statin. Half got daily Nexletol and half a dummy pill.
The main finding: Nexletol-treated patients had a 13% lower risk of a group of major cardiac problems — a 23% reduced risk of a heart attack, the biggest impact researchers found.