Amgen's Evolocumab Can Lower LDL Levels By As Much As 75 Percent

A new study led by the University of Iowa’s Dr. Jennifer Robinson has demonstrated the clinical effectiveness of adding the monoclonal antibody evolocumab to the patient’s statin therapy routine to reduce LDL cholesterol levels. The researchers found that the experimental drug injection could decrease LDL levels by as much as 75 percent when taken in conjunction with statins. The study was funded by evolocumab’s drug maker, Amgen. The study included 2067 patients from 17 different countries.

Because higher levels of cholesterol can harm the cardiovascular system, the reduction in LDL levels from evolocumab treatment could also mean a significant reduction in heart attacks. High LDL levels also put patients at risk for other problems with heart disease. Evolocumab works by blocking the substance that curbs the liver’s ability to purge cholesterol from the blood. The drug utilizes an antibody which stops LDL receptors in the body from breaking down over time. With more LDL receptors active on the surface of a patient’s liver, cholesterol is more easily and effectively removed from the body.

Evolocumab is injectable, and the researchers say that patients can inject themselves, similar to the way diabetics inject insulin. In the study, patients of the phase three study were assigned to four different groups that took doses of evolocumab every two weeks or four weeks. The drug was found to be effective in its varying doses.

According to Robinson, “[Ours] is to our knowledge the first study to demonstrate that the addition of Evolocumab results in similar percent reductions in LDL and achieved LDL levels regardless of stable baseline statin type, dose, or intensity, across three commonly prescribed statins and a broad range of doses.”.

The researchers have stated that more studies need to be completed to gauge the long term safety of evolocumab.

Robinson’s research was presented at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in Washington DC. The research has also been published in the Journal of American Medical Association.