2018-07-13T13:57:00
(BPT) – This article is sponsored advertising content from Amgen, Inc.
Count to 40. Then again. Two people in the United States (U.S.) just had a heart attack. Every 40 seconds equals one more person.1 While these individual experiences may be unique, these are life-changing events for everyone involved.
Cardiovascular disease remains a leading health issue in the U.S., with 790,000 heart attacks and 795,000 strokes annually.1 High cholesterol—particularly high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)—is a leading modifiable risk factor for heart attack and stroke.2,3
Take Mahendra Mahabir, for example. A 43-year-old man, living in Florida with his wife and children, Mahendra has familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a genetic disorder which makes the body unable to remove LDL-C from the blood. Elevated LDL-C, also known as “bad cholesterol,” increases Mahendra’s risk for heart attack and stroke.4 Mahendra has had seven stents put in and has suffered from four heart attacks since the age of 17.
One way of reducing the risk for heart attack and stroke is by taking steps to reduce high cholesterol. Drug treatment is a long-standing, effective measure for reducing cholesterol. One category of drugs called statins is widely prescribed and effective for many patients. However, some patients, like Mahendra, need more to lower their LDL-C. In spite of diligently taking his statin medication, he still struggles to achieve his LDL-C target, leaving him vulnerable to a cardiovascular event.
Repatha® (evolocumab) is a groundbreaking treatment that dramatically lowers LDL-C by helping the liver remove bad cholesterol from the body. It does this by blocking an enzyme—called PCSK9—whose function is to prevent the liver from clearing bad cholesterol.5 Repatha® is proven to dramatically lower LDL-C levels, significantly drops the risk of a heart attack or stroke, and reduces the need for a stent or open-heart bypass surgery in patients with established cardiovascular disease. Repatha® is the first and only medication of its kind to offer an every-two-week or single monthly at-home injection option.5,6
For people with high cholesterol, like Mahendra Mahabir, who have been diagnosed with FH or who have established cardiovascular disease, Repatha® may be an effective option.
“Several people in my family, including my father, passed away from heart disease at a young age. I had my first heart attack when I was just seventeen and have had three more since,” said Mahendra. “I have been on statins for a number of years and my LDL cholesterol levels were still high. I kept an optimal diet and weight and exercised regularly, yet was unable to get my LDL cholesterol levels where they needed to be. I was finally prescribed a PCSK9 inhibitor, Repatha®, and have since significantly lowered my LDL cholesterol levels.”
A recent clinical trial with over 27,500 patients demonstrated the efficacy of Repatha® in preventing heart attack and stroke in high-risk individuals with established cardiovascular disease. Repatha® plus a statin reduced the risk of a heart attack by 27 percent and the risk for stroke by 21 percent.6 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Repatha® as the first and only PCSK9 inhibitor to prevent heart attacks, and strokes, and to prevent the necessity for a stent or open-heart bypass surgery in patients with established cardiovascular disease.5 The most common side effects of Repatha® include: runny nose, sore throat, symptoms of the common cold, flu or flu-like symptoms, back pain, high blood sugar levels (diabetes) and redness, pain, or bruising at the injection site.
Important Safety Information
Do not use Repatha® if you are allergic to evolocumab or to any of the ingredients in Repatha®.
Please see additional Important Safety Information below.
According to Mahendra’s cardiologist, Seth J. Baum, M.D., Repatha® offers a viable treatment option for those who have tried other treatments with no success.
“People who have had a previous cardiovascular event, like a heart attack or stroke, are at a very high risk for another event and may need to lower their LDL cholesterol levels beyond what is possible with statins alone,” says Dr. Baum. “There’s an urgent need to lower LDL cholesterol in high-risk patients with established cardiovascular disease. Repatha® is an effective way to do so.”
If you have any of these risk factors, you should ask your doctor about Repatha®:
- Genetically high cholesterol (known as familial hypercholesterolemia)
- History of heart attack or stroke (established cardiovascular disease)
“I am elated when I see my high-risk patients get their LDL down to very low levels. Doing so will reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke. This is the preventive cardiologist’s mission, to prevent cardiovascular events. Dramatically lowering LDL cholesterol is unquestionably one of the best ways we can accomplish this goal,” said Dr. Baum.
Talk to your doctor about how a PCSK9 inhibitor, like Repatha®, can help lower your LDL cholesterol level. For more information, visit www.Repatha.com.
Important Safety Information
Do not use Repatha® (evolocumab) if you are allergic to evolocumab or to any of the ingredients in Repatha®.
Before you start using Repatha®, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you are allergic to rubber or latex, are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. The needle covers on the single-use prefilled syringes and the inside of the needle caps on the single-use prefilled SureClick® autoinjectors contain dry natural rubber. The single-use Pushtronex® system (on-body infusor with prefilled cartridge) is not made with natural rubber latex.
Tell your healthcare provider or pharmacist about any prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements you take.
What are the possible side effects of Repatha®?
Repatha® can cause serious side effects including: Repatha® may cause allergic reactions that can be serious. Call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away if you have any symptoms of an allergic reaction including a severe rash, redness, severe itching, a swollen face, or trouble breathing.
The most common side effects of Repatha® include: runny nose, sore throat, symptoms of the common cold, flu or flu-like symptoms, back pain, high blood sugar levels (diabetes), and redness, pain, or bruising at the injection site.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.
These are not all the possible side effects of Repatha®. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information. Call your healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see full Prescribing Information and Patient Product Information.
REFERENCES
- AHA. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, 2017. https://healthmetrics.heart.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Heart-Disease-and-Stroke-Statistics-2017-ucm_491265.pdf. Accessed November 9, 2017.
- NIH. How to Prevent and Control Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors. https://nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hd/prevent. Accessed October 30, 2017.
- Kuklina. CDC. Vital Signs; Prevalence, Treatment, and Control of High Levels of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol United States 1999-2002 and 2005-2008. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6004a5.htm. Accessed October 30, 2017.
- CDC. High Cholesterol Facts. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/facts.htm. Accessed on April 6, 2018.
- Repatha® (evolocumab) U.S. Prescribing Information. Amgen.
- Sabatine MS, Giugliano RP, Keech AC, et al, for the FOURIER Steering Committee and Investigators. N Engl J Med. Evolocumab and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease. 2017;376:1713-22.