8. Bempedoic acid for cholesterol-lowering in statin-intolerant patients
High cholesterol can lead to serious health problems such as heart attack and stroke. It is typically managed with statins, but some people experience unacceptable muscle pain with those drugs and become intolerant.
Bempedoic acid could offer an alternative approach to lowering the LDL-cholesterol without the side effects.
“This problem is one of the most vexing problems we face in cardiology,” Dr. Steve Nissen, a staff member in cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, said.
The drug is a prodrug that isn’t activated until it enters the liver. It has shown to lower c-reactive proteins more than statins, according to Nissen. It is slated for FDA approval in February.