Daewoong Pharmaceutical Presents Tailored Dyslipidemia Treatment Strategies by Patient Risk Group at the Korean Society of Lipidology and Atherosclerosis Conference

by Jeong Donghoon

Published 27 Apr.2026 09:14(KST)

Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on April 27 that it successfully held a luncheon symposium at the 'Spring Conference of the Korean Society of Lipidology and Atherosclerosis (SoLA 2026)'.

The symposium, co-chaired by Professors Park Youngbae and Kim Hyosoo of the Department of Cardiology at Seoul National University College of Medicine, offered an in-depth discussion on optimal dyslipidemia treatment strategies according to patients' cardiovascular disease risk, as well as the clinical utility of Daewoong Pharmaceutical's portfolio.

In the first session, Professor Chun Daeyoung of the Department of Cardiology at Hallym University College of Medicine presented primary prevention strategies for low- and moderate-risk patients and discussed the clinical value of the new product 'Baroezet' (pitavastatin 1 mg and ezetimibe 10 mg).

Photos from the 'SoLA 2026' Daewoong Pharmaceutical Luncheon Symposium. Daewoong Pharmaceutical

Professor Chun emphasized, "LDL-C control is essential for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. In Korea, the higher the risk, the lower the target achievement rate tends to be, so it is important to maintain low LDL-C levels from an early stage." He added, "Even among low- and moderate-risk groups, who make up over 70% of the adult population in Korea, the presence of early risk factors such as diabetes or hypertension significantly increases cardiovascular risk, making continuous management strategies necessary from this stage."

Professor Chun also pointed out that high-intensity statin monotherapy raises concerns about adverse reactions such as new-onset diabetes mellitus (NODM) and muscle disorders. He noted that early combination therapy with low-dose statin and ezetimibe can effectively lower LDL-C while reducing the burden of side effects. He added that real-world data from Korea have also shown that this combination therapy significantly lowers the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality compared to high-intensity statin monotherapy.

Regarding Baroezet, which was launched on April 1, Professor Chun noted, "Pitavastatin has a low risk of drug-drug interactions and a lower risk of new-onset diabetes, making it suitable for low- and moderate-risk groups." He evaluated, "The combination with ezetimibe not only provides strong LDL-C lowering effects but also improves residual cardiovascular risk factors, and overall demonstrates good tolerability."

In the second session, Bae Janghwan, Head of Cardiology at Busan Good Samsun Hospital, highlighted early and intensive LDL-C lowering strategies for high-risk patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and discussed the clinical value of 'Litobazet' (atorvastatin and ezetimibe).

Dr. Bae stated, "The lower the LDL-C, the lower the risk of ASCVD; however, in high-risk patients in Korea, it is often difficult to achieve the target level with statin monotherapy alone, and the use rate of high-intensity statins is also low." He emphasized the need for combination therapy with statin and ezetimibe.

He added, "Combination therapy has been shown to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with stroke and ASCVD. In particular, moderate-intensity statin plus ezetimibe combination therapy has demonstrated non-inferior MACE reduction compared to high-intensity statin monotherapy, and yielded more favorable results in terms of LDL-C lowering effect and tolerability."

Introducing Litobazet, he continued, "For high-risk cardiovascular patients, especially those with chronic kidney disease, it is important to consider renal safety when selecting a medication. Litobazet, a combination based on atorvastatin, can be used without dose adjustment in patients with chronic kidney disease and achieves approximately 50% LDL-C lowering with only the initial dose, making it a clinically valuable option for high-risk patients."

After the presentations, Professor Kim Hyosoo, who served as co-chair, highlighted the importance of enhanced primary prevention of cardiovascular disease as underscored in the recently released U.S. ACC/AHA dyslipidemia management guidelines, predicting that more aggressive treatment for dyslipidemia will be implemented in the future. Professor Kim explained, "The latest ACC/AHA dyslipidemia guidelines assess the 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) based on 12 factors, including age, sex, body mass index, and smoking. If the ASCVD risk exceeds 3%, the guidelines recommend using moderate-intensity statins to keep LDL-C levels below 100 mg/dL. Particularly, if the risk exceeds 10%, LDL-C should be managed below 70 mg/dL." He further projected, "Applying the new U.S. guidelines, a significant portion of the Korean population aged 30 or older would also be eligible for statin therapy."

Co-chair Professor Park Youngbae expressed concern about social factors that hinder statin therapy. Professor Park noted, "Excessive publicity of statin side effects has led to a pronounced nocebo effect, resulting in patients discontinuing the medication when they actually need it." He pointed out, "Especially with the recent spread of misinformation undermining statin therapy through platforms like YouTube, this has become a social issue that warrants caution."

Park Hyungcheol, Head of ETC Marketing at Daewoong Pharmaceutical, remarked, "This symposium was a significant event that shared the importance of patient risk-based personalized treatment strategies, from low-risk to very high-risk groups." He added, "Going forward, Daewoong Pharmaceutical will continue to provide options suited to various clinical situations through its strong combined portfolio, including new products Baroezet and Litobazet, and will consistently contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular disease."