Additional therapy for cholesterol lowering in ezetimibe-treated, statin-intolerant patients in clinical practice: results from an internal audit of a university lipid clinic

The Effect of Dietary Supplementation with Plant Sterols on Total and LDL-Cholesterol in Plasma Is Affected by Adherence to Mediterranean Diet: Insights from the DESCO Randomized Clinical Study

Plant sterols are well-known natural lipid-lowering agents. The DESCO (Diet and plant sterols in the control of cholesterolemia) study was a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-way crossover clinical trial designed to investigate the effect of a once-a-day ready-to-drink dietary supplement containing 2.5 g of phytosterols on the lipid profile, also in relation to the quality of the diet, in a cohort of 50 Italian individuals with polygenic hypercholesterolemia and low global cardiovascular risk. Eligible individuals were enrolled in a run-in period of 2 weeks. Then, participants who qualified for continuation in the study were randomly allocated (1:1) to a 3-week treatment with either phytosterols or placebo. After a 2-week washout period, enrolled individuals were crossed over to receive the alternative treatment. Dietary supplementation with phytosterols was associated with significant improvement in plasma levels of total cholesterol (TC; -11.8 ± 4.0 mg/dL, p = 0.016), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; -7.8 ± 7.7 mg/dL, p = 0.021), and apolipoprotein B-100 (Apo B-100, -3.7 ± 4.1 mg/dL, p = 0.048) compared to baseline. The changes in TC and LDL-C were also significant compared to placebo, and greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was significantly associated with greater reductions in LDL-C. Dietary supplementation with phytosterols was well tolerated and adherence to treatment was high. According to the findings of DESCO, the once-a-day ready-to-drink dietary supplement we tested is able to quickly and significantly decrease plasma levels of TC, LDL-C, and Apo B-100, with a greater effect in individuals more adhering to the Mediterranean dietary pattern.

Statin-related adverse drug reactions in UK primary care consultations: A retrospective cohort study to evaluate the risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality

AIMS

To investigate the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and all-cause mortality in patients with statin-related adverse drug reaction (ADR) consultation in primary care and examine whether different treatments following the ADR affect subsequent outcomes.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of statin users between 2004 and 2019 using IQVIA Medical Research Data (formally known as the THIN database). Patients with statin-related ADR consultation were matched by propensity score (1:1) to statin users without ADR consultation based on demographics, comorbidities and concomitant medication. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to compare the risk of subsequent CVD event and all-cause mortality, stratified by history of CVD. In the secondary analysis among patients with statin-related ADR, treatment changes within a 1-year period following the ADR were examined and the outcomes were compared between different treatment groups.

RESULTS

Among 1 564 687 statin users, 19 035 (1.22%) had a statin-related ADR consultation in primary care. The mean (standard deviation) follow-up time was 6.32 (3.74) years and 5.31 (3.83) years for CVD primary and secondary prevention cohorts, respectively. Statin-related ADR consultation was associated with subsequent CVD events in both cohorts (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] of 1.39 [95% CI 1.23, 1.57] and 1.34 [95% CI 1.25,1.42], respectively). In the secondary analysis among patients with statin-related ADR consultation, we found that (i) continued statin prescription or combination of any statin with additional lipid-lowering treatment (LLT) and (ii) other LLT only were associated with lower risks of CVD event (adjusted HR 0.71 [95% CI 0.64, 0.78] and 0.75 [95% CI 0.62, 0.92], respectively) and all-cause mortality (adjusted HR 0.46 [95% CI 0.42, 0.50] and 0.52 [95% CI, 0.43, 0.64], respectively), compared to discontinuation of all LLT.

CONCLUSION

Statin-related ADR was associated with an increased risk of subsequent CVD event, indicating that these patients should be monitored more closely. Continued lipid-lowering medication is of importance to protect against CVD events and mortality.

Management of High-Risk Hypercholesterolemic Patients and PCSK9 Inhibitors Reimbursement Policies: Data from a Cohort of Italian Hypercholesterolemic Outpatients

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors are effective and safe lipid-lowering treatments (LLT). The primary endpoint of the study was to assess the prevalence of patients eligible for treatment with PCSK9 inhibitors in a real-life clinical setting in Italy before and after the recent enlargement of reimbursement criteria. For this study, we consecutively considered the clinical record forms of 6231 outpatients consecutively admitted at the Lipid Clinic of the University Hospital of Bologna (Italy). Patients were stratified according to whether they were allowed or not allowed to access to treatment with PCSK9 inhibitors based on national prescription criteria and reimbursement rules issued by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA). According to the indications of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), 986 patients were candidates to treatment with PCSK9 inhibitors. However, following the prescription criteria issued by AIFA, only 180 patients were allowed to access to PCSK9 inhibitors before reimbursement criteria enlargement while 322 (+14.4%) with the current ones. Based on our observations, low-cost tailored therapeutic interventions for individual patients can significantly reduce the number of patients potentially needing treatment with PCSK9 inhibitors among those who are not allowed to access to the treatment. The application of enlarged reimbursement criteria for PCSK9 inhibitors could mildly improve possibility to adequately manage high-risk hypercholesterolemic subjects in the setting of an outpatient lipid clinic.

Nutraceuticals in the Management of Dyslipidemia: Which, When, and for Whom? Could Nutraceuticals Help Low-Risk Individuals with Non-optimal Lipid Levels?

Purpose of Review

The aim of this review is to summarize the available clinical efficacy and safety data related to the most studied and used lipid-lowering nutraceuticals.

Recent Findings

A growing number of meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials supports the effectiveness and tolerability of some lipid-lowering nutraceuticals such as red yeast rice, plant sterols and stanols, soluble fibers, berberine, artichoke extracts, bergamot polyphenol fraction, garlic, green tea, and spiruline. No significant safety concern has been raised for the use of such products. Association of more lipid-lowering nutraceuticals and of some nutraceuticals with lipid-lowering drugs has been tested as well.

Summary

Current evidence suggests that some clinically tested lipid-lowering nutraceuticals could be safely used to improve plasma lipid levels in subjects affected by mild-to-moderate dyslipidaemia with low cardiovascular risk.

Lipid-lowering nutraceuticals update on scientific evidence

: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the main cause of mortality worldwide. Risk factors of CVD can be classified into modifiable (smoking, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia) through lifestyle changes or taking drug therapy and not modifiable (age, ethnicity, sex and family history). Elevated total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels have a lead role in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD), while high levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) seem to have a protective role.The current treatment for dyslipidemia consists of lifestyle modification or drug therapy even if not pharmacological treatment should be always considered in addition to lipid-lowering medications.The use of lipid-lowering nutraceuticals alone or in association with drug therapy may be considered when the atherogenic cholesterol goal was not achieved.These substances can be classified according to their mechanisms of action into natural inhibitors of intestinal cholesterol absorption, inhibitors of hepatic cholesterol synthesis and enhancers of the excretion of LDL-C. Nevertheless, many of them are characterized by mixed or unclear mechanisms of action.The use of these nutraceuticals is suggested in individuals with borderline lipid profile levels or with drug intolerance, but cannot replace standard lipid-lowering treatment in patients at high, or very high CVD risk.Nutraceuticals can also have vascular effects, including improvement in endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness, as well as antioxidative properties. Moreover, epidemiological and clinical studies reported that in patients intolerant of statins, many nutraceuticals with demonstrated hypolipidemic effect are well tolerated.

Advances in the management of statin myopathy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Statins are highly effective therapies for reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and preventing cardiovascular events. However, many patients taking statins experience statin-associated muscle symptoms. In the current manuscript, we review algorithms to define statin intolerance and approaches to optimize cardiovascular risk reduction and reduce the nocebo effect among individuals reporting statin-associated muscle pain.

RECENT FINDINGS

Patients with statin intolerance have a higher cardiovascular event risk. These data underscore the need to apply clinical strategies that improve treatment utilization and adherence of patients experiencing statin-related side effects. Recent data have shown that the nocebo effect is frequent with statin therapy. This may be explained by the high frequency of muscle symptoms in the general population and media misinformation. When statins even at a low dosage are not tolerated other therapies can be used such as fibrate, ezetimibe nutraceuticals and antiPCSK9 antibodies. Recent data have identified other alternative therapeutic strategies such as bempedoic acid.

SUMMARY

There are multiple strategies for the management of statin-intolerance, both pharmacological and nonpharmacological. Patient involvement in the justification of statin treatment indication and therapeutic choice is the first step to overcome misbelief and reduce nocebo effect.

Red Yeast Rice for Hypercholesterolemia: JACC Focus Seminar

The extracts of red yeast rice (RYR) are currently the most effective cholesterol-lowering nutraceuticals. This activity is mainly due to monacolin K, a weak reversible inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, whose daily consumption causes a reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol plasma levels up to 15% to 25% within 6 to 8 weeks. The decrease in LDL-cholesterol is accompanied by a proportional decrease in total and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, plasma apolipoprotein B, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Some trials suggest that RYR use is associated with improvement in endothelial function and arterial stiffness, whereas a long-term study supports its role in the prevention of cardiovascular events. Despite the statin-like mechanism of action, the risk related to 3 to 10 mg monacolin K taken per day is minimal (mild myalgia in previously severely statin-intolerant subjects). RYR could represent a therapeutic tool to support lifestyle improvement in managing mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia in low-risk patients, including those who cannot be treated with statins or other LDL-cholesterol-lowering therapies.

Latest Updates on Lipid Management

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Despite the clinical long-term and near-term benefits of lowering cholesterol in, respectively, primary and secondary prevention of ASCVD, cholesterol levels remain under-treated, with many patients not achieving their recommended targets. The present article will review the latest updates on lipid management with emphases on the different classes of cholesterol-lowering agents and their clinical uses.

New treatment options for lipid-lowering therapy in subjects with type 2 diabetes

Dyslipidemias represent a variety of quantitative and/or qualitative lipoprotein abnormalities. According to etiology, we distinguish primary dyslipidemias with strictly genetic background and secondary ones with their origin in other disease or pathological states. Diabetic dyslipidemia is a type of secondary dyslipidemia and plays an important role in determining the cardiovascular risk of subjects with type 2 diabetes. In these patients, insulin resistance is responsible for overproduction and secretion of atherogenic very low density lipoprotein. In addition, insulin resistance promotes the production of small dense low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and reduces high-density lipoprotein (HDL) production. Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. Previous results support the role for small, dense LDL particles in the etiology of atherosclerosis and their association with coronary artery disease. Moreover, lowering LDL cholesterol reduces the risk of cardiovascular death. Therefore, the European guidelines for the management of dyslipidemias recommend an LDL cholesterol goal < 100 mg/dL in diabetic subjects without cardiovascular events. Moreover, if triglycerides (TG) are elevated (> 400 mg/dL), they recommend a non-HDL cholesterol goal < 130 mg/dL in diabetic individuals without cardiovascular events. Statins are the first line of LDL-lowering therapy in diabetic patients and combined therapy with ezetimibe and statins could be useful in very high cardiovascular risk diabetic subjects. Furthermore, the effect of a fibrate as an add-on treatment to a statin could improve the lipid profile in diabetic individuals with high TG and low HDL cholesterol. Regarding new therapies, recent data from phase III trials show that proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors considerably decrease LDL cholesterol. Thus, they may be useful in diabetic patients with concomitant diseases such as familial dyslipidemia, recurrent cardiovascular events, and elevated LDL cholesterol after second drug administration in addition to maximal statin dose or statin intolerance.

Nutraceuticals in the management of patients with statin-associated muscle symptoms, with a note on real-world experience

There is considerable evidence for the role of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Although statin therapy remains the most frequency prescribed medication to reduce LDL-C and lower risk of cardiovascular disease, a considerable number of patients develop muscle-related side affects. This review summarizes recent literature supporting the role of nutraceuticals as LDL-C-lowering therapy in statin-intolerant patients, with evidence from our own clinical practices.