Efficacy and safety of bempedoic acid in patients with hypercholesterolemia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

2020 ◽  
pp. 204748732093058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Dai ◽  
Yuyue Zuo ◽  
Qiqi You ◽  
Hesong Zeng ◽  
Shiyi Cao

Aim Bempedoic acid is a novel oral drug, which has been increasingly researched to play an important role in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia recently. However, results from original studies were inconsistent and inconclusive. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to quantitatively appraise the efficacy and safety of bempedoic acid. Methods PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus were searched from inception to 30 January 2020. We included randomized controlled trials that compared the efficacy and safety of bempedoic acid with placebo in patients with hypercholesterolemia. Results from trials were presented as mean differences or odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and were pooled by random or fixed effects model. The risk of bias and heterogeneity among trials were also assessed and analyzed. Results Pooled analysis of 10 eligible trials showed that bempedoic acid treatment resulted in greater lowering of the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level than the placebo group (mean difference –23.16%, 95% CI –26.92% to –19.04%). We also found that improvements in lipid parameters and biomarkers were still maintained at weeks 24 and 52 from the long-term trials. As for safety, bempedoic acid did not increase the risk of overall adverse events (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.18). However, the incidence of adverse events leading to discontinuation was higher in the bempedoic acid group (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.82). Conclusions Available evidence from randomized controlled trials suggests that bempedoic acid provides a well-tolerated and effective therapeutic option for lipid lowering in patients with hyperlipidemia

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shujun Chen ◽  
Tianyu Liang ◽  
Tao Xue ◽  
Shouru Xue ◽  
Qun Xue

Background: Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. Generally, it is characterized by deficits in cognition, behavior, and movement. Recent studies have shown that pridopidine is a potential and effective drug candidate for the treatment of HD. In the present study, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pridopidine in HD.Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and Clinicaltrials.gov databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) which had that evaluated pridopidine therapy in HD patients.Results: We pooled data from 1,119 patients across four RCTs. Patients in the pridopidine group had a significantly lower Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS)-modified Motor Score (mMS) (MD −0.79, 95% CI = −1.46 to −0.11, p = 0.02) than those in the placebo group. Additionally, no differences were observed in the UHDRS-Total Motor Score (TMS) (MD −0.91. 95% CI = −2.03 to 0.21, p = 0.11) or adverse events (RR 1.06, 95% CI = 0.96 to 1.16, p = 0.24) in the pridopidine and placebo groups. In the subgroup analysis, the short-term (≤12 weeks) and long-term (>12 weeks) subgroups exhibited similar efficacy and safety with no statistical significance in TMS, mMS, or adverse events. However, TMS (MD −1.50, 95% CI = −2.87 to −0.12, p = 0.03) and mMS (MD −1.03, 95% CI = −1.87 to −0.19, p = 0.02) were observed to be improved significantly when the dosage of pridopidine ≥90 mg/day. Additionally, pridopidine (≥90 mg/day) increased total adverse events (RR 1.11, 95% CI = 1.00 to 1.22, p = 0.04) compared with placebo. On this basis, we analyzed the incidence of various adverse events when the dosage was ≥90 mg/day. Nonetheless, these results were within the acceptable threshold, although patients developed symptoms, such as nasopharyngitis and insomnia.Conclusion: Pridopidine improved mMS and had no statistical significance in association with TMS or adverse events. Pridopidine (≥90 mg/day) improved TMS and mMS but increased adverse events, such as nasopharyngitis and insomnia. More RCTs were expected to assess pridopidine in HD.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying-Ying Zhang ◽  
Rong Zhou ◽  
Wan-Jie Gu

Abstract Background: Opioid-induced constipation (OIC) is a distressing side effect during opioid analgesia and is mainly mediated by gastrointestinal μ opioid receptors. Methylnaltrexone, a peripheral μ opioid receptor antagonist with restricted ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, may alleviate OIC without reversing analgesia. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of methylnaltrexone for the treatment of OIC.Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials that compared methylnaltrexone with placebo for the treatment of OIC. The primary efficacy outcome was rescue-free bowel movement (RFBM) within 4 hours after the first dose. Secondary efficacy outcomes included RFBM within 24 hours after the first dose, RFBM ≥3 times per week, and need take rescue laxatives. The primary safety outcome was any adverse events. Secondary safety outcomes included abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and flatulence. Relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were pooled using random-effects model with the intention-to-treat principle. We used the GRADE approach to assess the certainty of the evidence.Results: Eight trials with 2,034 participants were included. Compared with placebo, methylnaltrexone significantly increased RFBM within 4 hours after the first dose (8 trials; 1,833 participants; RR 3.74, 95% CI 3.02-4.62; I2 = 0%; high-certainty evidence), RFBM within 24 hours after the first dose (2 trials; 614 participants; RR 1.98, 95% CI 1.52-2.58; I2 = 9%; moderate-certainty evidence), and RFBM ≥3 times per week (3 trials; 1,396 participants; RR 1.33, 95% CI 1.17-1.52; I2 = 0%; moderate-certainty evidence) and decreased need to take rescue laxatives (3 trials; 807 participants; RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.63-0.85; I2 = 0%; moderate-certainty evidence). For safety outcomes, there was no difference in any adverse events between the two groups (8 trials; 2,034 participants; RR 1.11, 95% CI 0.99-1.23; I2 = 34%; moderate-certainty evidence), including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and flatulence; but for the most commonly reported adverse events, the abdominal pain was higher in methylnaltrexone group than that in placebo group (6 trials; 1,813 participants; RR 2.30, 95% CI 1.29-4.08; I2 = 62%; moderate-certainty evidence).Conclusions: Methylnaltrexone is an effective and safe drug for treating OIC. But the safety of abdominal pain should be considered.Trial registration: PROSPERO (CRD42020187290).


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiang Zhao ◽  
Xubiao Ma ◽  
Xing Luo ◽  
Zhihua Shi ◽  
Ziwen Deng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Bempedoic acid is a new drug that reduces cholesterol synthesis via inhibiting ATP citrate lyase. It remains unclear whether the combination of bempedoic acid and other lipid-lowering drugs is better than these drugs alone. This study systematically reviewed the efficacy and safety of bempedoic acid monotherapy or combination togethers in hypercholesterolemic patients. Methods Randomized controlled trials were searched across Medline, Embase, Cochrane library, web of science, etc. The net change scores [least squares mean (LSM) percentage change] in LDL-C level were meta-analyzed using weighted mean difference. The reductions in other lipids including total cholesterol (TC), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) and apolipoprotein (ApoB) and high sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP) were also assessed. Odds ratio (OR) of the incidence of adverse events (AEs) were calculated to evaluate the safety of bempedoic acid. Results A total of 13 trials (4858 participates) were included. Pooled data showed that the combination togethers resulted in greater reductions in LDL-C level than monotherapies (bempedoic acid + statin vs. statin: LSM difference (%), − 18.37, 95% CI, − 20.16 to − 16.57, I2 = 0; bempedoic acid + ezetimibe vs. ezetimibe: LSM difference (%), − 18.89, 95% CI, − 29.66 to − 8.13, I2 = 87%). But the difference in efficacy between bempedoic acid and ezetimibe was not obvious. Meta-regression analysis showed the treatment duration was a source of heterogeneity (adj R2 = 16.92, 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.72). Furthermore, the background therapy of statin before screening decreased the efficacy of bempedoic acid. In addition, bempedoic acid also resulted in a significant reduction in TC, non-HDL-C, ApoB and hsCRP level. The OR of muscle-related AEs by the combination of bempedoic acid and statin was 1.29 (95% CI, 1.00 to 1.67, I2 = 0) when compared with statin alone. Conclusion This study showed the efficacy of combination togethers were similar but stronger than these drugs alone. Of note, a trend of high risk of muscle-related AEs by the combination of bempedoic acid and statin was observed, though it is not statistically significant, such risk is needed to be confirmed by more trials, because it is important for us to determine which is the better combinative administration for statin-intolerant patients.


Author(s):  
Peng Wang ◽  
Shuo Zhang ◽  
Binwu Hu ◽  
Weijian Liu ◽  
Xiao Lv ◽  
...  

AbstractTo assess the efficacy and safety of interleukin (IL)-17A inhibitors in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science were searched up to 5 February 2020 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed the efficacy and safety of IL-17A inhibitors in patients with AS. We used a meta-analytic approach to perform a random effects analysis or fixed effects analysis according to heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses between studies included medication, time to primary endpoint, and data source. Odds ratios (ORs) or mean differences (MDs) were used to assess the efficacy and safety of IL-17A inhibitors in AS. A total of ten RCTs with 2613 patients were eligible for inclusion in the analysis (six for secukinumab, two for ixekizumab, one for netakimab, and one for bimekizumab). Compared to placebo, IL-17A inhibitors improved ASAS20 response rate (OR = 2.58; p < 0.01) and ASAS40 response rate (OR = 2.80; p < 0.01), and significantly increased the risk of AEs (OR = 1.23; p = 0.03) and nasopharyngitis (OR = 1.72; p < 0.01), but not SAEs (OR = 0.87; p = 0.60). IL-17A inhibitors demonstrated better efficacy in patients with AS in several evaluation indicators. However, the safety of IL-17A inhibitors remains to be further studied in studies with larger sample size and longer follow-up times.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bahman Amani ◽  
Ahmad Khanijahani ◽  
Behnam Amani

AbstractThe efficacy and safety of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in treating coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is disputed. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the efficacy and safety of HCQ in addition to standard of care (SOC) in COVID-19. PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of sciences, and medRxiv were searched up to March 15, 2021. Clinical studies registry databases were also searched for identifying potential clinical trials. The references list of the key studies was reviewed to identify additional relevant resources. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration tool and Jadad checklist. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan software (version 5.3). Eleven randomized controlled trials with a total number of 8161 patients were identified as eligible for meta-analysis. No significant differences were observed between the two treatment groups in terms of negative rate of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (Risk ratio [RR]: 0.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.90, 1.08; P = 0.76), PCR negative conversion time (Mean difference [MD]: − 1.06, 95% CI − 3.10, 0.97; P = 0.30), all-cause mortality (RR: 1.09, 95% CI 1.00, 1.20; P = 0.06), body temperature recovery time (MD: − 0.64, 95% CI − 1.37, 0.10; P = 0.09), length of hospital stay (MD: − 0.17, 95% CI − 0.80, 0.46; P = 0.59), use of mechanical ventilation (RR: 1.12, 95% CI 0.95, 1.32; P = 0.19), and disease progression (RR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.37, 1.85; P = 0.64). However, there was a significant difference between two groups regarding adverse events (RR: 1.81, 95% CI 1.36, 2.42; P < 0.05). The findings suggest that the addition of HCQ to SOC has no benefit in the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Additionally, it is associated with more adverse events.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangjie Liu ◽  
Xingyu Yang ◽  
Tao Xue ◽  
Shujun Chen ◽  
Xin Wu ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: Fluoxetine is a drug commonly used to treat mental disorders, such as depression and obsessive–compulsive disorder, and some studies have shown that fluoxetine can improve motor and function recovery after stroke. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy and safety of fluoxetine in the treatment of post-stroke neurological recovery.Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that were performed to assess the efficacy and safety of fluoxetine for functional and motor recovery in subacute stroke patients up to October 2020. Review Manager 5.3 software was used to assess the data. The risk ratio (RR) and standardized mean difference (SMD) were analyzed and calculated with a fixed effects model.Results: We pooled 6,788 patients from nine RCTs. The primary endpoint was modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Fluoxetine did not change the proportion of mRS ≤ 2 (P = 0.47). The secondary endpoints were Fugl-Meyer Motor Scale (FMMS), Barthel Index (BI), and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Fluoxetine improved the FMMS (P &lt; 0.00001) and BI(P &lt; 0.0001) and showed a tendency of improving NIHSS (P = 0.08). In addition, we found that fluoxetine reduced the rate of new-onset depression (P &lt; 0.0001) and new antidepressants (P &lt; 0.0001).Conclusion: In post-stroke treatment, fluoxetine did not improve participants' mRS and NIHSS but improved FMMS and BI. This difference could result from heterogeneities between the trials: different treatment duration, clinical scales sensitivity, patient age, delay of inclusion, and severity of the deficit.


Author(s):  
Jing Wang ◽  
Li Yu ◽  
Kefeng Li

AbstractBackground and ObjectiveRecently, in the scramble to find drugs to treat COVID-19, chloroquine (CQ) and its derivative hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have rapidly gained the public’s attention. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CQ and HCQ in the treatment of viral diseases.MethodsWe searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, Clinical Trials Registries, CNKI, Wanfang Data, CQVIP, and Preprint Servers through April 4, 2020, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that examined the efficacy and safety of CQ and HCQ against viral infection. We analyzed pooled data on the overall efficacy, the relative risks over the placebo, and the prevalence of adverse events. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was also performed to evaluate the random errors in the meta-analysis. Potential moderators of drug-placebo efficacy differences were analyzed by meta-regression.ResultsThe analysis included 11 RCTs with 2613 adult patients. Both the plasma viral load (standard mean difference: 0.29, 95% CI: −1.19 - 1.76, P = 0.70) and the improvement of clinical symptoms (odds ratio: 2.36, 95% CI: 0.81 - 6.92, P = 0.11) were not different between the intervention and placebo arm. There was significant heterogeneity for the efficacy assessment, which was primarily explained by the mean patients’ age and the sample size. Compared to the placebo, CQ and HCQ had increased risk of mild adverse events (risk ratio: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.35 - 1.70, P < 0.05, TSA adjusted 95% CI: 1.31 - 2.19), which were statistically significant in nervous, integumentary, and gastrointestinal systems. The most common adverse events were observed in the nervous system, with the pooled prevalence of 31.4 % (95% CI: 10.5% - 56.7%).ConclusionsInsufficient data were available to support the antiviral efficacy of CQ and HCQ due to the high heterogeneity caused by patients’ age. Mild side effects are expected for the current antiviral dose regimens of CQ and HCQ. Treatment outcomes may be enhanced by better-selected patients based on age and well-controlled adverse events.This meta-analysis was registered on OSF (ID: https://osf.io/386aw)


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danfeng Zhang ◽  
Yan Dong ◽  
Ya Li ◽  
Jigang Chen ◽  
Junyu Wang ◽  
...  

Cerebrolysin was reported to be effective in the neurological improvement of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in experimental models, while data from clinical trials were inconsistent. We performed a meta-analysis to explore the efficacy and safety of cerebrolysin for AIS. PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were searched for randomized controlled trials, which intervened within 72 hours after the stroke onset. We investigated the efficacy and safety outcomes, respectively. Risk ratios and mean differences were pooled with fixed-effects model or random-effects model. Seven studies were identified, involving 1779 patients with AIS. The summary results failed to demonstrate significant superiority of cerebrolysin in the assessment of efficacy outcomes of mRS and BI. Similarly, administration of cerebrolysin had neutral effects on safety outcomes compared with placebo, including mortality and SAE. However, the number of included studies was small, especially in the analysis of efficacy outcomes, which might cause publication bias and inaccurate between-studies variance in the meta-analysis. Conclusively, although it seemed to be safe, routine use of cerebrolysin to improve the long-term rehabilitation after stroke could not be supported by available evidence.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haibo B. Kong ◽  
Guoyuan Y. Zheng ◽  
Baomei M. He ◽  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Qin Zhou

Objective: To perform a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials verifying clinical efficacy and safety of propranolol in pre-term newborns with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).Methods: We searched the literature databases (Pubmed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, CBM) for publications before August 10, 2020, and the World Health Organization's International Clinical Trials Registry and ClinicalTrials.gov for ongoing trials. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of propranolol for the prevention or treatment of ROP were included. The quality of the included studies was primarily assessed by the RCT tool of the Cochrane Collaboration. The included studies were quantified using a meta-analysis of relative risk (RR) estimated with a random effect model.Results: Our original search identified 171 articles, and five studies met our criteria. A meta-analysis was performed that showed that infants orally treated with propranolol had a decreased risk of disease progression: stage progression had an RR = 0.65 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.47–0.88]), plus disease had an RR = 0.43 [95% CI, 0.22–0.82]. The demands for additional treatments had similar protective results: laser photocoagulations had an RR = 0.55 [95% CI, 0.35–0.86]), and intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor had an RR = 0.45 [95% CI, 0.22–0.90]). The oral administration of propranolol was associated with an increased risk of adverse events (RR = 2.01 [95% CI, 1.02–3.97]). High-risk adverse events included bradycardia, hypotension, not gaining enough weight, bronchospasm, hypoglycemia, apnea, and increasing ventilator need. Subgroup analysis of ROP phases and stages found that the risk in stage 2 ROP of the second phase and the individual risk factors (stage progression, RR = 0.42 [95% CI, 0.27–0.65]; plus disease, RR = 0.40 [95% CI, 0.17–0.93]; laser photocoagulation, RR = 0.31 [95% CI, 0.14–0.68]) have statistically significant differences compared with other phases and stages.Conclusions: Pre-term newborns with ROP, especially in stage 2 ROP of the second phase, who were orally given propranolol have a reduced risk of disease progression and demand for additional treatments, but the safety needs more attention.


Cartilage ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 194760352095162
Author(s):  
Madhan Jeyaraman ◽  
Sathish Muthu ◽  
Parvez Ahmad Ganie

Study Design Meta-analysis. Objectives To compare the efficacy and safety of bone marrow(BM)–derived mesenchymal stem cell(MSCs) and adipose-derived(AD) MSCs in the management of osteoarthritis of knee from randomized controlled trials(RCTs) available in the literature. Materials and Methods We conducted electronic database searche from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library till May 2020 for RCTs analyzing the efficacy and safety of MSCs in management of osteoarthritis of knee. Visual Analog Score(VAS) for Pain, Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index(WOMAC), Lysholm Knee Scale(Lysholm), Whole-Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score(WORMS), Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score(KOOS), and adverse events were the outcomes analyzed. Analysis was performed in R platform using OpenMeta[Analyst] software. Results Nineteen studies involving 811 patients were included for analysis. None of the studies compared the source of MSCs for osteoarthritis of knee and results were obtained by pooled data analysis of both sources. At 6 months, AD-MSCs showed significantly better VAS( P<0.001, P=0.069) and WOMAC( P=0.134, P=0.441) improvement than BM-MSCs, respectively, compared to controls. At 1 year, AD-MSCs outperformed BM-MSCs compared to their control in measures like WOMAC( P=0.007, P=0.150), KOOS( P<0.001; P=0.658), and WORMS( P<0.001, P=0.041), respectively. Similarly at 24 months, AD-MSCs showed significantly better Lysholm score( P=0.037) than BM-MSCs( P=0.807) although VAS improvement was better with BM-MSCs at 24 months( P<0.001). There were no significant adverse events with either of the MSCs compared to their controls. Conclusion Our analysis establishes the efficacy, safety, and superiority of AD-MSC transplantation, compared to BM-MSC, in the management of osteoarthritis of knee from available literature. Further RCTs are needed to evaluate them together with standardized doses.


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