Posted by Michael Wonder on 17 Aug 2016
The cost of this drug Is high enough to question its value
17 August 2016 - A new cholesterol-lowering drug is so expensive, it isn’t worth its potential benefits, according to new research.
PCSK9 inhibitors, the main ingredients in Amgen’s Repatha and Sanofi and Regeneron’s Praulent treatments, were first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in July for use by patients with a family history of high cholesterol or those who suffered high-cholesterol-induced heart attacks.
The treatment is said to potentially decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke. It’s more effective than fellow cholesterol-lowering medications, ezetimibe and statin. But according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Tuesday, at an average of $14,350 per patient in 2015, its price exceeds the savings from averting cardiovascular events.
