Amgen's Repatha lowers need for cholesterol lowering procedure

Amgen Inc said its injection Repatha significantly reduced the need for patients to undergo a procedure to reduce bad cholesterol, according to the findings of a late-stage study.

The drug, like Regeneron Inc and Sanofi SA's Praluent, belongs to a class of medicines called PCSK9 inhibitors that were approved on their ability to dramatically lower "bad" LDL cholesterol.

Besides taking drugs, cholesterol patients often undergo a procedure called apheresis, which is as invasive as dialysis and involves using a machine that removes bad cholesterol over a period of between one and three hours, Amgen said.