The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended authorising Repatha (evolocumab) as treatment to lower high levels of cholesterol in the blood of people who are unable to control their cholesterol despite taking optimal doses of statins or who cannot take statins. It should be used in addition to a healthy diet. Other lipid-lowering therapies (statins and others) should also be used if tolerated. Repatha is also indicated to treat people with homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia, a rare inherited disorder in which levels of LDL-cholesterol (‘bad cholesterol’) are higher than normal from birth. It is intended for injection under the skin either once every two weeks, or once a month.

High levels of cholesterol in the blood are common risk factors for heart disease, which is the leading cause of death globally.

Repatha is the first monoclonal antibody (a type of protein) in this therapeutic area and provides a new treatment option for patients who are unable to control their high cholesterol despite taking currently available therapies. Repatha blocks the PCSK9 protein, which would otherwise lower the number of LDL-receptors in the liver and through this, diminishes its ability to remove LDL-cholesterol from the blood.

For more details, go to: http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/news_and_events/news/2015/05/news_detail_002336.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac058004d5c1