Novel lipid-lowering drug halts development, progression of diabetes

Bempedoic acid, a novel drug used to lower the bad cholesterol, reduces the risk of developing new-onset diabetes or its progression, according to the results of a meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases for studies evaluating the effect of bempedoic acid therapy on new-onset or worsening diabetes with a minimum of 4 weeks of follow-up. They used the fixed-effects model and performed a meta-analysis according to PRISMA guidelines.

The meta-analysis included five randomized controlled trials of bempedoic acid. The total population comprised 3,629 patients, among whom 2,419 were allocated to receive bempedoic acid while 1,210 were allocated to the respective control arms.

Compared with control therapy, bempedoic acid was associated with a significant decrease in the risk of new-onset or worsening diabetes (odds ratio, 0.66, 95 percent confidence interval, 0.48–0.90; I², 0 percent).

Additional investigation is warranted to confirm this finding.

Bempedoic acid is a small molecule inhibitor of ATP-citrate lyase, administered orally for the treatment of hyperlipidaemia. Its protective effect on diabetes risk may be related to AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), since bempedoic acid plays a dual role in both activation of hepatic AMPK signalling pathway and inhibitory activity against hepatic ATP-citrate lyase. [Curr Opin Lipidol 2014;25:309-315; J Lipid Res 2013;54:134-151]