Aim: Bempedoic acid has shown noteworthy progress in the prevention and management of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in recent years. However, there has been a lack of high-quality evidence regarding the risk reduction of clinical events with bempedoic acid. Therefore, the aim of this article is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of bempedoic acid on the incidence of cardiovascular events.
Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials pertaining to bempedoic acid was carried out. We conducted a systematic search across the Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases to identify relevant studies published from inception to 23 April 2023. A total of four trials comparing the clinical benefit achieved with bempedoic acid versus placebo were included.
Results: Our analysis comprised four trials that encompassed a total of 17,323 patients. In comparison to the placebo, bempedoic acid showed a significant reduction in the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) [relative risk (RR), 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.87-0.94]. Additionally, bempedoic acid substantially lowered the occurrence of fatal or nonfatal myocardial infarction (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.66-0.89), hospitalization for unstable angina (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.55-0.89), and coronary revascularization (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.73-0.92). There was also a similar reduction in MACE in patients on the maximally tolerated statin therapy.
Conclusion: Bempedoic acid may reduce the risk of cardiovascular events regardless of whether the patient is taking stains or not.
Registration: PROSPERO registration number CRD42023422932.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.