The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the use of evolocumab (Repatha) to treat high cholesterol in patients who do not respond to statin therapy, the agency announced in a statement.
Evolocumab is a monoclonal antibody that blocks proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9); it is the first drug in this class available for lowering cholesterol.
In clinical trials of more than 5,000 patients, Repatha lowered LDL cholesterol both in patients with hypercholesterolemia and mixed dyslipidemia, and in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, the agency said in its announcement.
Read more information on the EMA website.