Results from a Phase 3 clinical study show that Amgen’s Repatha lowers LDL cholesterol levels significantly without harming memory or other cognitive functions.
The study, called Ebbinghaus, evaluated the medication's effect on cognitive function in 1,974 patients in the Repatha cardiovascular outcomes investigation. It found that lowering low-density lipoprotein-C to extraordinary levels with Repatha had no negative impact on cognition, Amgen said in a press release.
Ebbinghaus found that the effect of Repatha on spatial memory was about the same as standard treatments.There was also no measurable difference between Repatha and placebo on the other cognitive areas examined, including working memory, memory function and psychomotor speed, according to Amgen.
Results were revealed at a Late-Breaking Clinical Trials Session at the American College of Cardiology 66th Annual Scientific Session in Washington, D.C., Amgen said.
"There has long been a debate that low LDL cholesterol levels could lead to negative effects on memory or other cognitive functions," D. Robert P. Giugliano of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston and lead study investigator, said in the release. "We did not find evidence for a decline in neurocognitive function after nearly two years of treatment with evolocumab using a dedicated series of neuropsychologic tests. We also asked patients and their physicians to provide their assessments and found no differences between evolocumab and placebo. These findings provide strong support for the safety of reducing LDL with evolocumab to levels well below current treatment targets."
