Amgen touts lowered prices for Repatha delivery devices

Amgen (NSDQ:AMGN) said today that it lowered the list prices of the drug-delivery devices for its cholesterol drug, Repatha, to $5,850 per year.

The Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based company touted the 60% discount as a way to boost patient affordability and accessibility.

The Repatha SureClick autoinjector, which Amgen said is the most commonly used delivery device for Repatha, was discounted to $5,850 in October last year.

“Every 40 seconds someone in America has a heart attack or stroke making cardiovascular disease one of the country’s most significant health challenges,” Murdo Gordon, Amgen’s EVP of global commercial operations, said in prepared remarks.

“Repatha can help to address this significant public health issue, which is why we are working hard to improve patient affordability by lowering Repatha’s list price to improve patient co-pays, especially for Medicare patients,” he said.

The company reported that 80% of current Repatha Medicare patients have access to Repatha at the new list price.

“The lower list price announced in October has been received very positively by patients, physicians and payers, and we are already seeing a noticable impact for patients,” Gordon added. “However, more must be done to help more patients get to a low fixed co-pay. We need continued engagement from all stakeholders – from healthcare professionals to payers to plans and to government agencies – to help ensure patients benefit from the lower list price to reduce their out-of-pocket costs.”

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