Table 3.

Pharmacologic agents for treating dyslipidaemias

Drug class	Mechanism of action	Clinical effectiveness	Adverse impacts	Reference
Statins	HMG coenzyme A reductase Inhibition	Very effective	Myalgia, myositis, rhabdomyolysis, elevation in liver enzymes	[51]
Ezetimibe	Reduced intestinal cholesterol absorption by binding to C1-like 1 protein	Moderately effective, Safe in addition to statin therapy	Nasopharyngitis, diarrhea, upper respiratory tract infection	[52]
Inhibitors of PCSK9	Inhibition of PCSK9	Extremely effective in combination with statin therapy	Injection site reaction includes itching, swelling, erythema, and pain	[53]
BAS	Prevent reabsorption of bile acids by binding them in the small intestine	Moderately effective, safe in addition to statin therapy, not recommended if triglycerides are >400 mg/dL	Constipation, bloating, abdominal pain, drug malabsorption	[54]
Nicotinic acid	Lowers LDL 5–25%, TG 20–50%, and small dense LDL. Increases HDL 15–35%	Clinical efficacy and safety uncertain	Hot flashes, hyperglycemia, hyperuricemia, hepatotoxicity	[55]
Fibrates	Activates PPAR-α and lowers triglycerides by 30–50%. Increases HDL	Moderately effective but should be used with prudence in patients with CKD	Dyspepsia, gallstones, hepatotoxicity, myopathy	[56]
Omega-3 fatty acid	Lowers TG	Moderately effective, could be used in conjugation with statins in patients with CVD and increased TG	Gastrointestinal disturbances	[57]