Amgen discounts cholesterol drug, but payers want more

New York

AMGEN Inc sells its cholesterol-lowering drug Repatha at a discount of about 30 per cent to its US list price of US$14,000 a year, but the largest pharmacy benefit managers say they want lower prices after new data suggested more patients should be treated with the drug.

Amgen, which on Friday presented data showing for the first time that Repatha cuts the risk of heart attack and stroke, said in a related presentation for investors that it is netting between US$7,700 and US$11,200 per annual treatment after discounts and rebates and believes those prices represent good value.