Clinical efficacy and safety outcomes of bempedoic acid for LDL-C lowering therapy in patients at high cardiovascular risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives Bempedoic acid (BA) is a novel oral low-density lipoprotein cholesterol lowering drug. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess efficacy and safety for clinical outcomes in high cardiovascular (CV) risk patients. Data sources MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Google Scholar, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, Clinical Trial Results and the American College of Cardiology web site were searched. Study selection Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of BA versus placebo in high CV risk patients reporting clinical outcomes were included. Main outcomes and measures Primary efficacy outcomes were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), all-cause mortality, CV mortality and non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI). Safety outcomes included new onset or worsening of diabetes mellitus (DM), muscular disorders, gout and worsening of renal function. Results Six RCTs with a total of 3956 patients and follow-ups of four to 52 weeks were identified. Heterogeneity mainly derived from differing follow-up duration and baseline CV risk. No difference in MACE (OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.61 to 1.15), all-cause mortality (OR 2.37; CI 0.80 to 6.99) and CV mortality (OR 1.66; CI 0.45 to 6.04) for BA versus placebo was observed. BA showed beneficial trends for non-fatal MI (OR 0.57; CI 0.32 to 1.00) and was associated with a lower risk of new-onset or worsening of DM (OR 0.68; CI 0.49 to 0.94), but higher risk of gout (OR 3.29; CI 1.28 to 8.46) and a trend for muscular disorders (OR 2.60; CI 1.15 to 5.91) and worsening of renal function (OR 4.24; CI 0.98 to 18.39). Conclusion BA in high CV risk patients showed no significant effects on major CV outcomes in short-term follow-up. Unfavourable effects on muscular disorders, renal function and gout sound a note of caution. Hence, further studies with longer term follow-up in carefully selected populations are needed to clarify the risk/benefit ratio of this novel therapy.

Automated summary

This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy and safety of bempedoic acid in high cardiovascular risk patients. The study found that bempedoic acid did not significantly affect major cardiovascular outcomes in the short-term follow-up. However, it was associated with increased risk of muscular disorders, worsening of renal function, and gout. Further long-term studies are needed to assess the risk/benefit ratio of this novel therapy.