FDA Approves New Cholesterol-Lowering Treatments

FDA Approves New
Cholesterol-Lowering Treatments

Yesterday, the FDA approved Amgen’s biologic Repatha, the second of an expensive new type of cholesterol-lowering medicine. Repatha is the second FDA-approved treatment in a new class of drugs known as PCSK9 and comes with a price tag of $14,100 per patient, per year.

In response to the FDA approval, John Rother, president of the National Coalition on Health Care and leader of the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, issued the following statement:

“The approval of Repatha is another example of a breakthrough medication with a too high price tag. With several game-changing medications in the pipeline, we need to address the underlying issue of how these prices are set from the start before they hit the market.”

In case y0u missed it, the FDA also recently approved Praluent, a cholesterol-lowering treatment from Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. Praluent is the first FDA-approved treatment in a new class of drugs known as PCSK9 and comes with a price tag of $14,600 per patient, per year. It is widely anticipated that the price of this treatment has the potential to put a significant strain on the U.S. health care system.

In response, John Rother, president of the National Coalition on Health Care and leader of the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, issued the following statement:

“Breakthrough treatments such as Praluent hold tremendous medical promise for certain patients, but it’s price tag makes us question how long the health system can sustain these costs for patients managing chronic conditions over several years.”