Amgen’s Repatha Unclogs Arteries in Good Sign for Future Sales
- Repatha reversed plaque buildup in 64 percent of patients
- Data bodes well before large-studies results in coming months
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Amgen Inc.’s Repatha was shown to strip plaque out of patients’ arteries in an imaging study, providing evidence that the injected medication helps reverse the progression of heart disease that is the leading cause of death worldwide.
The results, presented at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting, are an important step as doctors, patients and investors await definitive trials on whether Repatha and a rival medicine from Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. can prevent heart attacks and deaths. Insurers, too, want evidence that the drugs lower cardiovascular events, not just cholesterol levels, to potentially extend coverage of the expensive drugs.