Opportunities and perspectives for bempedoic acid use in clinical practice

Bempedoic acid is a new lipid-lowering drug that inhibits cholesterol biosynthesis in liver cells selectively. Results from phase 2 and phase 3 studies showed a complementary effect on LDL-cholesterol lowering when combining bempedoic acid and ezetimibe without increasing side effects. Moreover, bempedoic acid seems to represent a good treatment option for the management of hypercholesterolemia, especially in patients at increased risk of cardiovascular events, such as patients with impaired glucose metabolism, elderly patients, patients with prior acute coronary syndrome, and patients with familial hypercholesterolemia. Based on the scientific evidence, this paper provides practical recommendations on the management of hypercholesterolemia with bempedoic acid.