Biotech giant Amgen Inc. received the approval of European regulators for a new drug the Thousand Oaks company said is highly effective at reducing "bad" cholesterol, which is a significant risk factor for heart disease.
The European Commission's approval of the drug Repatha creates an important new option for patients who had not been able to reduce cholesterol with existing medications, the company said.
Repatha is an antibody that is injected into patients one or two times per month and can reduce low density lipoprotein, or LDL, by 50% or more.
"Repatha addresses the No. 1 killer of humans on the planet," said Sean Harper, executive vice president of research and development at Amgen.