Amgen Receives EC Approval for Repatha

Amgen announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved a new indication in the Repatha (evolocumab) label for adults with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (myocardial infarction, stroke or peripheral arterial disease) to reduce cardiovascular risk by lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels.

"With its proven ability to prevent heart attacks and strokes, Repatha offers hope for one of the greatest health challenges we face today. However, the majority of patients in Europe who could benefit from treatment with a PCSK9 inhibitor remain unserved and at risk of a cardiovascular event," said Anthony C. Hooper, executive vice president of Global Commercial Operations at Amgen. "To help ensure eligible patients around the world can access and benefit from Repatha, Amgen is willing to work in partnership with payers to help manage affordability concerns from increased patient access. Furthermore, we are committed to excellence in LDL-C management and collaborating with healthcare providers to deliver comprehensive solutions for patients."

Of all the modifiable risk factors for heart attack and stroke, lowering high LDL-C is one of the most important and impactful. Yet, even among patients currently taking a lipid-lowering therapy, many patients still have high LDL-C levels and remain at risk for cardiovascular events. Repatha is a medicine proven to significantly lower "bad cholesterol" or LDL-C for high-risk patients who suffer from a combination of high LDL-C and cardiovascular disease, and who continue to struggle with lowering their LDL-C levels despite statin therapy.

The approval by the EC recognizes the positive findings from the Repatha cardiovascular outcomes study (FOURIER), expanding the label to include data on the additional reduction and prevention of heart attacks, strokes and coronary revascularizations on top of maximally tolerated statin therapy. FOURIER showed reductions in the risk of heart attack by 27 percent, the risk of stroke by 21 percent and the risk of coronary revascularization procedures by 22 percent in patients treated with Repatha and statin therapy compared to patients treated with placebo and statin therapy over a mean duration of 26 months.

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