Posted by Michael Wonder on 18 Mar 2017
Amgen to refund cholesterol drug if patients suffer heart attack
17 March 2017 - Pledge aims to convince insurers to pay for $14,000/year medicine.
Amgen said it would offer a refund if patients had a stroke or heart attack while taking its cholesterol-lowering medicine, as the US biotechnology group tries to convince cash-strapped healthcare systems to pay for the expensive new drug.
The pledge is the latest instance of a drugmaker offering to reimburse health insurers or governments if a drug is less effective than promised, in an effort to retain premium prices for medicines at a time when those footing the bill are driving a much harder bargain.
Amgen made the guarantee as it unveiled a study of the drug in 27,500 patients that demonstrated the medicine, Repatha, could reduce the chances of a patient suffering from a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack, stroke, or hospitalisation for angina.
