Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN)’s Repatha performed exceptionally well in a ground-breaking clinical trial session, at the American College of Cardiology’s 65th Annual Scientific Session. The company’s Repatha excelled and fetched better results than ezetimibe, which is developed by Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK).
Repatha versus ezetimibe
Repatha trials showed that it was far more effective against ezetimibe in patients with reproducible statin intolerance, who encounter muscle related side-effects. The drug led to a significantly higher reduction in lipoprotein cholesterol at the end of the trial period of 24 weeks.
Amgen reported that the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction from baseline for Repatha is 54.5% after 22 to 24 weeks while the same stands at 16.7% for ezetimibe. 20.7% of patients receiving Repatha reported muscle-related side effects, which is lower than 28.8% of those taking ezetimibe.
Other updates
Apart from this, Amgen had recently updated about the Phase 3 results of romosozumab, which is developed in association with UCB. The company reported a significant increase in the hip bone density and strength versus teriparatide. The study surrounded postmenopausal women, who are exposed to high degree of fracture risks despite bisphosphonate therapy.
These are milestone achievements for Amgen, which recently saw the exit of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) from the development of fulranumab. Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Research & Development, LLC, decided to back out from the development of fulranumab, which is an anti-nerve growth Factor (NGF) antibody and aimed at the treatment of osteoarthritis pain. The company had licensed the rights of fulranumab to Jansen Pharmaceuticals in 2008. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had placed a hold on anti-NGFs following emergency of safety concerns in 2011. However, the restriction on the development of anti-NGF’s was later lifted.
On announcing a handful of substantial developments, the stock of Amgen registered a surge by 2.79% to $154.12 during the previous trading session.
