Advances in the management of statin myopathy

Evaluating pharmacokinetics of bempedoic acid in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia

Introduction: Bempedoic acid is a first-in-class low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering agent which offers an important opportunity for further LDL-C lowering in statin-intolerant patients or in patients requiring further LDL-C reduction despite maximally tolerated statin therapy.Areas covered: In this review, we examined the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, and safety of bempedoic acid, based on randomized clinical phase III clinical studies and their meta-analyses.Expert opinion: Unlike statins, bempedoic acid is administered as a prodrug and is converted to active form by a liver-specific enzyme. For the liver-specific mechanism of action, bempedoic acid has the potential to reduce the risk of muscle-related adverse events which can limit the utilization and effectiveness of statin therapy.

Necrotising myopathy and concurrent thyroiditis in a patient with COVID-19 infection

A 76-year-old man with hypogammaglobulinemia on monthly intravenous immunoglobulin infusions presented to the hospital with fever, cough, and shortness of breath and was diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia requiring intensive care unit admission but not intubation. He was treated with convalescent plasma, remdesivir and corticosteroids. Sixteen days into his hospitalisation he began to report weakness without sensory symptoms and was found on biopsy to have a necrotising myopathy.