Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ESPR) presented analyses from its CLEAR Outcomes trial showing that bempedoic acid reduced the risk of ischemic stroke by 22% compared to placebo in statin-intolerant patients. The data was presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session held March 28-30 in New Orleans.

The analysis examined 293 patients who experienced fatal or non-fatal strokes during the trial, with 268 cases being ischemic strokes. Bempedoic acid is marketed under the brand name NEXLETOL by the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company.

A second analysis presented at the conference examined patients with autoimmune or inflammatory diseases, who comprised approximately 10% of the 13,970 CLEAR Outcomes participants. The study found that patients with these conditions experienced similar cardiovascular benefit from bempedoic acid treatment as those without such diseases.

"Patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases face a significantly elevated cardiovascular burden, and these data reinforce that bempedoic acid delivers meaningful reductions in cardiovascular events in this vulnerable group," said Luke Laffin, senior author of the analyses and Associate Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.

Bempedoic acid is indicated to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults at increased risk who are unable to take recommended statin therapy. The drug is also approved as an adjunct to diet and exercise to reduce LDL cholesterol in adults with hypercholesterolemia.

The company has received approvals for its bempedoic acid products across more than 40 countries and operates a commercial infrastructure in the United States.