According to a significant study published on Saturday in The New England Journal of Medicine, a medicine called bempedoic acid (brand name Nexletol) has been proven to be an effective alternative for lowering cholesterol and lowering the risk of a heart attack.
Researchers announced Saturday that a different type of cholesterol-lowering medicine called Nexletol lowered the risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems in those who couldn’t handle statins in a large study.
Side Effects Of Taking Nexletol
According to the study, at least 93% of American adults using a cholesterol-lowering medicine are prescribed statins like Lipitor or Crestor to reduce their risk of heart disease, but a large percentage of patients endure significant side effects including muscle aches.
Statins are a type of cholesterol-lowering drug that is currently prescribed to persons who are at high risk of having a heart attack or stroke. They do, however, have adverse effects, the most prevalent of which is muscle aches. This side effect affects anywhere from 7% to 29% of patients who take statins.
Researchers announced Saturday that a different type of cholesterol-lowering medicine called Nexletol lowered the risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems in those who couldn’t handle statins in a large study.
Doctors already use the medicine, known chemically as bempedoic acid, in conjunction with a statin to help certain high-risk patients drop their cholesterol even further.
The new study investigated Nexletol without the statin combination, and it provides the first indication that it also lowers the risk of cholesterol-related health problems.
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Benefits To Your Heart
Nexletol, like statins, operates by inhibiting the formation of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in the liver — but it does so in a different way and without the reported negative effects.
Bempedoic acid was originally given as a statin companion medication. The current trial, conducted by Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. Steven Nissen, investigated its use without a statin and discovered that it achieves the intended effect on its own.
Nexletol users had a 13% decreased incidence of serious cardiac events (death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke or coronary revascularization).
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