Almost 36 percent of deaths in Austria in 2020 were due to cardiovascular diseases. One of the main risk factors is high blood lipid levels. But even with treatment, up to 80 percent of those affected do not reach the target values for the “bad” LDL cholesterol. A new medicine, bempedoic acid, in combination with known substances could help.
So far, so-called statins have primarily been used to lower cholesterol. The new bempedoic acid also reduces cholesterol synthesis. However, this is done in a different way than with statins. The substance is therefore suitable for combining – for example in patients with statin intolerance – with ezetimibe, which inhibits the reuptake of cholesterol from the intestine. Bempedoic acid can also be combined with a statin. The substance could also be used to rapidly reduce the cholesterol level in patients who have had a stroke or a heart attack.
Source: Nachrichten
