Efficacy and Safety of Bempedoic Acid in Association With Anti-PCSK9 and Ezetimibe in Statin-intolerant Patients

Statin intolerance occurs in up to 15-20% of treated patients. The combined use of Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors with ezetimibe is commonly performed in these patients, and has been associated with an estimated LDL-C reduction of 65-70%. This drug combination may be insufficient to reach the LDL-C target in high- and very-high-risk patients with statin intolerance, also considering the goals recommended by the current international guidelines. Also, PCSK9 inhibitor dosage escalations frequently fail to achieve the target. Doubling the dosage of alirocumab from 75 mg to 150 mg, when administrated as monotherapy, determines a further reduction of only 3,6% of LDL-C serum level. The full dose of Evolocumab (420 mg every two weeks), was approved only in the setting of homozygous familiar hypercholesterolemia. Bempedoic acid is an oral, once-daily prodrug, metabolized in the liver to an active inhibitor of ATP-citrate lyase, blocking cholesterol synthesis upstream of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase and thereby increasing hepatic expression of the LDL receptor and decreasing circulating LDL-C levels. The CLEAR (Cholesterol Lowering via Bempedoic acid, an ACL-Inhibiting Regimen) Harmony trial demonstrated that bempedoic acid in addition to maximally tolerated statin therapy did not lead to a higher incidence of adverse events compared to placebo and significantly lowered LDL-C levels. In the CLEAR Serenity study, bempedoic acid showed a safe and effective profile compared with placebo in patients with statin intolerance. In the CLEAR Tranquility, it provided an oral therapeutic option complementary to ezetimibe in patients intolerant to high-dose statins who required additional LDL-C lowering. The synergistic effect of bempedoic acid plus PCSK9 inhibitors has been investigated by one phase 2 trial (NCT03193047), which showed a statistical superiority of bempedoic acid plus evolocumab strategy versus placebo plus evolocumab in terms of percent change in LDL-C up to 2 months. To date, no randomized phase 3 clinical trial have evaluated the effect of bempedoic acid in association with anti-PCSK9 and ezetimibe in statin-intolerant patients not attaining the recommended LDL-C target. The investigators hypothesized that the association of bempedoic acid with PCSK9 inhibitors and ezetimibe may be safe and effective in reducing LDL-C in statin-intolerant patients.