Esperion Presents Inflammation as Predictor of Cardiovascular Risk

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ESPR) has presented results from a pre-specified, exploratory analysis of CLEAR Outcomes at the 2023 American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions. Results were also simultaneously published in the peer-reviewed AHA journal, Circulation. The analysis revealed that participants with higher baseline inflammation were more likely to experience a major cardiovascular event (MACE) and cardiovascular death, compared to those with the lowest inflammation.

Paul Ridker, MD, MPH, of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard Medical School, said, “We know in 2023 that ‘lower is better’ is true both for cholesterol and for inflammation. In the future, it can be anticipated that virtually all atherosclerosis patients will receive aggressive inflammation inhibition along with aggressive cholesterol reduction.”

Dr. Ridker presented a pre-specified analysis in an oral presentation titled, “Inflammation and Cholesterol as Predictors of Cardiovascular Events and Risk Reduction with Bempedoic Acid Among Statin Intolerant Patients: An Analysis of the CLEAR Outcomes Trial.”

Highlights

Esperion’s analysis focused on vascular inflammation, as measured by the inflammatory marker hsCRP as a major determinant of atherosclerotic risk regardless of background statin use.

In the exploratory analysis, participants with baseline hsCRP in the top 25% of all participants were 43% more likely to experience MACE, twice as likely to experience cardiovascular death, and 121% more likely to experience all-cause mortality compared to those in the lowest 25%.

In CLEAR Outcomes, patients who were randomized to bempedoic acid, contained in the company’s NEXLETOL® and NEXLIZET®, experienced a 21.6% reduction in hsCRP compared to placebo at 6 months.

About Esperion Therapeutics

At Esperion, we discover, develop, and commercialize innovative medicines to help improve outcomes for patients with or at risk for cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. The status quo is not meeting the health needs of millions of people with high cholesterol – that is why our team of passionate industry leaders is breaking through the barriers that prevent patients from reaching their goals. Providers are moving toward reducing LDL-cholesterol levels as low as possible, as soon as possible; we provide the next steps to help get patients there. Because when it comes to high cholesterol, getting to goal is not optional. It is our life’s work. For more information, visit esperion.com and esperionscience.com and follow us on X at twitter.com/EsperionInc.