The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a non-statin drug from Esperion Therapeutics for the treatment of high cholesterol.
The FDA has given its approval to Bempedoic acid, a once-a-day non-statin oral drug for high cholesterol from Esperion Therapeutics.
It will be commercially known as Nexletol and has been approved for use with a healthy diet and the maximum dose of statins a patient tolerates.
Studies have demonstrated how the medication can reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, also known as bad cholesterol, which can cause heart problems or strokes.
While the FDA approved Nexletol based on its ability to lower cholesterol, it's still being studied to determine whether it will lower the risk of stroke and heart attack in patients who can't tolerate statins.
According to Esperion, the drug works by inhibiting cholesterol production and can lower LDL cholesterol by 28%. The pharmaceutical firm has also applied for FDA approval to use the drug as a combination pill with ezetimibe, another non-statin.
The company claims that studies have shown that the combination reduced cholesterol between 38% to 44%. An FDA decision on the application is expected soon.
In a release, Tim Mayleben, president and chief executive officer of Esperion, said: "Even with maximally tolerated statins, which may mean no statin at all, some of these patients can't achieve their LDL-C goals. Today's approval provides them with a new medicine to go along with a healthy diet."
Dr. Roger Blumenthal, who helped write the current American Heart Association cholesterol treatment guidelines, pointed out that it will be good to have another drug that can help patients.
Dr. Blumenthal said: "I definitely think it will be another tool that we have to utilize." He mentioned that the new drug can be chosen by doctors if a statin doesn't lower cholesterol enough or if the statin isn't tolerated.
