Amgen cholesterol drug
reduces arterial plaque buildup: study
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[September 21, 2016]
(Reuters) - Amgen Inc said on
Tuesday its potent new cholesterol fighter, Repatha, met the primary and
secondary goals of a study designed to show it can decrease plaque
buildup in heart arteries of patients already taking widely used statin
drugs, such as Lipitor.
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The biotechnology company, whose shares were up 1.6 percent, will
present detailed data from the study at a major heart conference in
November.
Repatha belongs to an expensive new class of injectable drugs that
dramatically lower levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol. The new
medicines have a list price of more than $14,000 a year. Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi sell a rival drug called Praluent. They
are far more expensive than statins, which are almost all now
available in cheap generic versions.
Health insurers and other companies that negotiate prescription drug
usage have been slow to cover the new medicines without evidence
that they actually reduce heart attacks and deaths as statins do.
Data from large studies expected to show that is expected next year.
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"One year after the FDA approved Repatha, nearly two-thirds of
patients prescribed Repatha are still being denied access," Amgen
research chief Sean Harper said in a statement.
If the new drugs, known as PCSK9 inhibitors, can halt or
significantly reverse atherosclerosis, that could be a strong
indicator they will be able to reduce heart attack risk.
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"Atherosclerosis is the major underlying cause of cardiovascular
disease, which remains the leading cause of death worldwide," Harper
said.
In the 78-week study of 968 heart patients already on optimum statin
therapy, Repatha lowered the percentage of atheroma volume in
coronary arteries and demonstrated some plaque regression.
Amgen shares were up $2.77 at $174.15 on the Nasdaq in late morning.
(Reporting by Bill Berkrot in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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