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"We are excited about today's approval of Repatha in the U.S. as patients and physicians will now have a new treatment option to lower LDL cholesterol," said Sean E. Harper, M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen. "Data from key clinical studies have shown that Repatha significantly reduces LDL cholesterol in patients who have not been able to lower their LDL cholesterol through diet and statins alone. At
Elevated LDL-C is an abnormality of cholesterol and/or fats in the blood.2,3 In the U.S., there are approximately 11 million people with ASCVD and/or familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), who have uncontrolled levels of LDL-C over 70 mg/dL, despite treatment with statins or other cholesterol-lowering therapies.4,5 Familial hypercholesterolemia is caused by genetic mutations that lead to high levels of LDL-C at an early age.6 It is estimated that one million people in the U.S. have FH (heterozygous and homozygous forms), yet less than one percent are diagnosed.7
"Through PCSK9 inhibition, evolocumab substantially reduces LDL or 'bad' cholesterol, a well-validated, modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease," said
In Phase 3 trials, adding Repatha to background lipid-lowering therapy that included statins resulted in intensive reductions in LDL-C levels with favorable effects on other lipid parameters. In patients with clinical ASCVD or HeFH, Repatha reduced LDL-C by approximately 54 to 77 percent compared with placebo.8 In a pivotal Phase 3 trial, 90 percent of clinical ASCVD patients who received Repatha in addition to maximum doses of statins achieved a LDL-C level less than 70 mg/dL.5 In patients with HoFH, Repatha reduced LDL-C by approximately 30 percent compared with placebo.8
Repatha is generally well-tolerated with an established safety profile. The most common adverse reactions that occurred in greater than 5 percent of the Repatha group, and more frequently than in the placebo group, were nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, influenza, back pain and injection site reactions.8
Repatha is available as a single-use 140 mg prefilled SureClick® autoinjector or prefilled syringe that patients can self-administer at the recommended dose for adults of 140 mg every two weeks or 420 mg once a month. For adults with HoFH, the recommended dose is 420 mg once a month.
The U.S. Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC) price of Repatha is
"
Repatha is expected to be available in the U.S. next week.
Today's U.S. approval of Repatha follows the marketing authorization of Repatha in
Please contact Amgen Medinfo at 800-77-
About Repatha™ (evolocumab)
Repatha™ (evolocumab) is a human monoclonal antibody that inhibits proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9).1 Repatha binds to PCSK9 and inhibits circulating PCSK9 from binding to the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (LDLR), preventing PCSK9-mediated LDLR degradation and permitting LDLR to recycle back to the liver cell surface. By inhibiting the binding of PCSK9 to LDLR, Repatha increases the number of LDLRs available to clear LDL from the blood, thereby lowering LDL-C levels.8
GLAGOV, the intravascular ultrasound study, is underway to determine the effect of Repatha on coronary atherosclerosis in approximately 950 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization to test the hypothesis of robust LDL-C reduction leading to a reduction or a change in the build-up of plaque in the arteries. Results from the GLAGOV study are expected in 2016.
The FOURIER outcomes trial is designed to evaluate whether treatment with Repatha in combination with statin therapy compared to placebo plus statin therapy reduces the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events in patients with high cholesterol and clinically evident cardiovascular disease and completed patient enrollment in
Important U.S. Product Information
Repatha is indicated as an adjunct to diet and:
Limitations of Use
The effect of Repatha on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has not been determined.
Important Safety Information
Repatha™ is contraindicated in patients with a history of a serious hypersensitivity reaction to Repatha. Hypersensitivity reactions (e.g. rash, urticaria) have been reported in patients treated with Repatha, including some that led to discontinuation of therapy. If signs or symptoms of serious allergic reactions occur, discontinue treatment with Repatha, treat according to the standard of care, and monitor until signs and symptoms resolve.
The most common adverse reactions (>5% of Repatha-treated patients and more common than placebo) were: nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, influenza, back pain, and injection site reactions.
In a 52-week trial, adverse reactions led to discontinuation of treatment in 2.2% of Repatha-treated patients and 1% of placebo-treated patients. The most common adverse reaction that led to Repatha treatment discontinuation and occurred at a rate greater than placebo was myalgia (0.3% versus 0% for Repatha and placebo, respectively).
Adverse reactions from a pool of the 52-week trial and seven 12-week trials, included:
Local injection site reactions that occurred in 3.2% and 3.0% of Repatha-treated and placebo-treated patients, respectively. The most common injection site reactions were erythema, pain, and bruising. The proportions of patients who discontinued treatment due to local injection site reactions in Repatha-treated patients and placebo-treated patients were 0.1% and 0%, respectively.
Allergic reactions occurred in 5.1% and 4.6% of Repatha-treated and placebo-treated patients, respectively. The most common allergic reactions were rash (1.0% versus 0.5% for Repatha and placebo, respectively), eczema (0.4% versus 0.2%), erythema (0.4% versus 0.2%), and urticaria (0.4% versus 0.1%).
Neurocognitive events were reported in less than or equal to 0.2% in Repatha-treated and placebo-treated patients.
In a pool of placebo- and active-controlled trials, as well as open-label extension studies that followed them, a total of 1609 patients treated with Repatha had at least one LDL-C value < 25 mg/dL. Changes to background lipid-altering therapy were not made in response to low LDL-C values, and Repatha dosing was not modified or interrupted on this basis. Although adverse consequences of very low LDL-C were not identified in these trials, the long-term effects of very low levels of LDL-C induced by Repatha are unknown.
Musculoskeletal adverse reactions were reported in 14.3% of Repatha-treated patients and 12.8% of placebo-treated patients. The most common adverse reactions that occurred at a rate greater than placebo were back pain (3.2% versus 2.9% for Repatha and placebo, respectively), arthralgia (2.3% versus 2.2%), and myalgia (2.0% versus 1.8%).
In 49 patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia studied in a 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 33 patients received 420 mg of Repatha subcutaneously once monthly. The adverse reactions that occurred in at least 2 (6.1%) Repatha-treated patients and more frequently than in placebo-treated patients, included upper respiratory tract infection (9.1% versus 6.3%), influenza (9.1% versus 0%), gastroenteritis (6.1% versus 0%), and nasopharyngitis (6.1% versus 0%).
Repatha is a human monoclonal antibody. As with all therapeutic proteins, there is a potential for immunogenicity with Repatha.
About Amgen Cardiovascular
Building on more than three decades of experience in developing biotechnology medicines for patients with serious illnesses,
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References
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