Amgen just made every cardiologist in America moan in public… 

Well friends, cholesterol drugs are officially sexy… and it’s all thanks to Amgen. At the American Heart Association’s largest orgy of the year, the company dropped data showing its blockbuster Repatha shot cut the risk of a first heart attack, stroke, or coronary death by 25%. That’s not “after you’ve already coded once”... but BEFORE it happens. 

(Source: Giphy) 

In short, the VESALIUS-CV trial followed over 12,000 high-risk patients for nearly five years… people already on statins, living life one bacon cheeseburger away from a cardiac event and Repatha basically told their arteries, “Not today.” What’s more is that it’s the first PCSK9 inhibitor (read: class of cholesterol drugs) o prove it can prevent a first cardiac event, not just clean up the aftermath. As for the details, they are absurd.  First heart attacks down 36%. LDL cholesterol levels dropped to 45 mg/dL… a number so low that cardiologists are reportedly printing it out and framing it.

(Source: Stat Pharma) 

“bUt wHaT AbOuT tHE sAfETy IsSuEs?” 

Apparently, zero per the report. Turns out you can actually lower cholesterol this much without your liver filing a complaint. Meanwhile, the study blew through every meaningful metric. Risk of cardiac events, stents, bypasses… all down. Even patients with diabetes saw massive benefits, which is saying something considering most diabetes trials end with a polite shrug. So now, Amgen’s out here calling it a “landmark” and a “call to action,” which means Monday is going to be absolutely LIT for shareholders. Especially considering that Repatha already did $2.2 billion in sales last year. So after this? That number’s about to get the kind of elevation the drug’s supposed to prevent.

Which means… which means… this puts Amgen in rare air. Why? Because they’ve they’ve essentially expanded Repatha from “for the guy who’s already had a heart attack” to “for everyone one bad week away from one.” Which, statistically, is most of us. And for the extra cherry pop, Repatha’s new pricing model runs about $239 a month through Amgen’s direct-to-patient program… down almost 60% from the old list price. So the drug that used to cost as much as a used Honda now feels less painful. 

(Source: Giphy) 

So yeah… while we are all watching Pfizer sue the hell out of people, and Novo and Lilly are feeding the world Ozempic… Amgen just did something that’s actually, well, worthwhile. Meaning, keep your eyes on shares going into Monday’s opening bell, and place your bets accordingly, friends. Until next time…

At the time of publishing, Stocks.News holds positions in Pfizer as mentioned in the article.