Cholesterol and Inflammation Lowering Via Bempedoic Acid, an ACL-inhibiting Regimen in HIV Trial (CLEAR HIV Trial)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05488431 |
Recruitment Status :
Not yet recruiting
First Posted : August 4, 2022
Last Update Posted : January 9, 2023
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Dyslipidemias Cardiovascular Diseases HIV Infections Atherosclerosis | Drug: Bempedoic acid Other: Placebo | Phase 3 |
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 121 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | Cholesterol and Inflammation Lowering Via Bempedoic Acid, an ACL-inhibiting Regimen in HIV Trial (CLEAR HIV Trial) |
Estimated Study Start Date : | February 1, 2023 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | February 1, 2028 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | February 1, 2028 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: Bempedoic acid (BA)
Patients randomized into the BA arm will receive 180 mg BA administered orally once daily without food for 52 weeks.
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Drug: Bempedoic acid
Bempedoic Acid is an oral first-in-class small molecular adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-citrate lyase (ACL) inhibitor which lowers LDL-C by inhibition of cholesterol synthesis in the liver. ACL is an enzyme upstream of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. Inhibition of ACL by bempedoyl-CoA results in decreased cholesterol synthesis in the liver and lowers LDL-C in blood via upregulation of LDL receptors and concomitant suppression of hepatic fatty acid biosynthesis. BA has been studied in >4300 individuals and is currently being studied in >14,000 individuals in CLEAR Outcomes (NCT02993406).
Other Name: BA |
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Patients randomized into the placebo arm will receive 180 mg placebo administered orally once daily without food for 52 weeks.
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Other: Placebo
Placebo |
- FDG PET/CT Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline and Week 52 ]Change in Target-to-background ratio from baseline to follow-up study at 52 weeks. The main arterial endpoint is the most diseased segment of the index vessel. These findings will be correlated to measurements in the secondary endpoint.
- Total Cholesterol Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in total cholesterol will be assessed from baseline to week 24 and week 52.
- HDL Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in HDL will be assessed from baseline to week 24 and week 52.
- LDL Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in LDL will be assessed from baseline to week 24 and week 52.
- Triglycerides Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in triglycerides will be assessed from baseline to week 24 and week 52.
- Apolipoprotein B Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in apolipoprotein B will be assessed from baseline to week 24 and week 52.
- Hb A1c Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in HbA1c from baseline to week 24 and week 52.
- Fasting glucose Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in fasting glucose measurements from baseline to week 24 and week 52.
- Insulin Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in insulin measurements from baseline to week 24 and week 52.
- homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) Endpoints [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]
The change in Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), a calculation based on insulin and glucose, will also be assessed from baseline to week 24 and 52.
The equation simplifies to [HOMA-IR = fasting insulin *fasting glucose /22.5] where fasting plasma insulin is measured in (µIU/mL) and fasting plasma glucose is measured in (mmol/L). Values below 1.0 are generally considered optimal.
- Adipose Volume Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline and Week 52 ]Change in adipose tissue volumes will be assessed by FDG PET/CT (as measured in primary outcome) from baseline to week 52.
- hsCRP Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in hsCRP from baseline to follow-up at weeks 24 and 52.
- IL-1B Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in IL-1B from baseline to follow-up at weeks 24 and 52.
- IL-18 Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in IL-18 from baseline to follow-up at weeks 24 and 52.
- SAA Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in SAA from baseline to follow-up at weeks 24 and 52.
- Lp-PLA2 Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in Lp-PLA2 from baseline to follow-up at weeks 24 and 52.
- sCD163 Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in sCD163 from baseline to follow-up at weeks 24 and 52.
- IL-6 Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in IL-6 from baseline to follow-up at weeks 24 and 52.
- D-Dimer Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in D-Dimer from baseline to follow-up at weeks 24 and 52.
- Fibrinogen Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in fibrinogen from baseline to follow-up at weeks 24 and 52.
- T-cell Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in T-cell marker from baseline to follow up at weeks 24 and 52.
- B-cell Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in B-cell marker from baseline to follow up at weeks 24 and 52.
- Monocyte activation Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline, Week 24 and Week 52 ]Change in monocyte activation marker from baseline to follow up at weeks 24 and 52.
- Coronary CTA Non-calcified Plaque Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline and Week 52 ]Change in non-calcified plaque as measured by Coronary CTA from baseline to follow-up study at 52 weeks
- Coronary CTA High-risk Plaque Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline and Week 52 ]Change in high-risk plaque as measured by Coronary CTA from baseline to follow-up study at 52 weeks.
- Coronary CTA Coronary Plaque Incidence Endpoint [ Time Frame: Baseline and Week 52 ]Incidence of new coronary lesions as measured by Coronary CTA from baseline to follow-up study at 52 weeks

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 40 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Documented HIV infection
- On continuous antiretroviral therapy and virologically suppressed HIV infection for ≥12 weeks prior to study entry
- CD4 T-cell count ≥ 200 cells/mm3
- Male or female between the ages ≥ 40 years of age
- LDL-C ≥ 100 mg/dL
- Documented cardiovascular disease as defined by: 1. Prior myocardial infarction, 2. Prior cerebrovascular disease, 3. Prior peripheral arterial disease, 4. History of percutaneous coronary intervention, 5. History of coronary artery bypass graft OR 6. Angiographic evidence of >50% stenosis in at least one coronary artery] OR 1 CVD risk factor (T2DM, current smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, hsCRP≥2mg/L, family history)
- TBR of >1.6 of the MDS of the carotid/aorta at baseline. This baseline arterial TBR cutoff excludes the rare individual that lacks appreciable arterial inflammation. It is notable that while 5-10% of uninfected individuals will have lower TBRs, it is rare that an HIV infected individual will fall below this range.
- Female subjects must either be of non-childbearing potential (defined as post-menopausal or amenorrhea > 12 months) or agree to use two forms of contraception (one hormonal and one barrier) throughout the study and for at least one month following study completion and have a negative pregnancy test at screening and prior to the first dose of drug.
- Males must use at least one method of contraception throughout the study.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Pregnant/nursing women (as there is no data on bempedoic acid in this setting)
- Diabetes requiring insulin (as insulin treatment alters the uptake of 18FDG)
- Uncontrolled HTN as defined by baseline blood pressure reading of ≥160 mmHg systolic OR ≥100 mmHg diastolic (exclusion criteria in other studies with BA)
- AST/ALT or alkaline phosphatase >2x ULN
- Triglycerides >500 mg/dL at screening
- Cancer within the last 5 years with exception of squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma
- Individuals on simvastatin >20mg or pravastatin >40mg. All other dosages and statins will be permitted with close monitoring for myopathies including assessment of CK levels
- Nephrotic syndrome or eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73m2
- Cytopenias which include 1) WBC <3.5 x103/uL 2) Platelet <120 x103/uL 3) ANC <1.5 x103/uL, and absolute lymphocytes <0.8 x 103/uL
- Anemia as fined by Hgb <10 g/dL
- Acute systemic infection within 30 days

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT05488431
Contact: Victor M Arechiga, BA | 206-5432 ext 628 | victor.arechiga@ucsf.edu | |
Contact: Shreya Swaminathan, BS | 206-5801 ext 628 | shreya.swaminathan@ucsf.edu |
United States, California | |
San Francisco General Hospital | |
San Francisco, California, United States, 94110 |
Principal Investigator: | Priscilla Hsue, MD | University of California, San Francisco |
Responsible Party: | Priscilla Hsue, MD, Dr. Priscilla Hsue, University of California, San Francisco |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT05488431 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
1.0 |
First Posted: | August 4, 2022 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | January 9, 2023 |
Last Verified: | January 2023 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | Yes |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Cardiovascular Diseases Atherosclerosis Dyslipidemias Inflammation Pathologic Processes Arteriosclerosis Arterial Occlusive Diseases Vascular Diseases Lipid Metabolism Disorders |
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