PARIS and TARRYTOWN, NY – February 4, 2019 – The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion for Praluent® (alirocumab), recommending a new indication as an adjunct to correction of other risk factors.
Praluent should be used in addition to a maximally tolerated dose of statin or can be used alone in patients intolerant to or inappropriate for statin therapy. ASCVD is an umbrella term, defined as a build-up of plaque in the arteries that can lead to reduced blood flow and a number of serious conditions such as stroke, peripheral artery disease and acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes heart attack and unstable angina. The CHMP opinion is based on data from ODYSSEY OUTCOMES, a Phase 3 cardiovascular outcomes trial that assessed the effect of Praluent in 18,924 patients who had an ACS between 1-12 months (median 2.6 months) before enrolling in the trial. Results from the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial were published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2018. The European Commission is expected to make a final decision in the coming months. Data from ODYSSEY OUTCOMES has also been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with a target action date of April 28, 2019.
About ODYSSEY OUTCOMES
ODYSSEY OUTCOMES assessed the effect of Praluent on the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients who had experienced an ACS before enrolling in the trial, and who were already on intensive or maximally-tolerated statin treatment. Patients were randomized to receive Praluent (n=9,462) or a placebo (n=9,462) and were assessed for a median of 2.8 years, with some patients being treated for up to 5 years. Approximately 90% of patients were on a high-intensity statin. The trial was designed to maintain patients’ LDL-C levels between 25-50 mg/dL (0.65-1.29 mmol/L), using two different doses of Praluent (75 mg and 150 mg). Praluent-treated patients started the trial on 75 mg every 2 weeks and switched to 150 mg every 2 weeks if their LDL-C levels remained above 50 mg/dL (1.29 mmol/L) (n=2,615). Some patients who switched to 150 mg switched back to 75 mg if their LDL-C fell below 25 mg/dL (0.65 mmol/L) (n=805), and patients who experienced two consecutive LDL-C measurements below 15 mg/dL (0.39 mmol/L) while on the 75 mg dose (n=730) stopped active Praluent therapy for the remainder of the trial.
About Praluent
Praluent inhibits the binding of PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) tothe LDL receptor and thereby increases the number of available LDL receptors on thesurface of liver cells to clear LDL, which lowers LDL-C levels in the blood. Praluent was developed by Regeneron and Sanofi under a global collaboration agreement. Praluent is approved in more than 60 countries worldwide, including the EU, U.S., Japan, Canada, Switzerland, Mexico and Brazil. In the U.S., Praluent is approved for use as an adjunct to diet and maximally-tolerated statin therapy for the treatment of adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) or clinical ASCVD who require additional lowering of LDL-C.
In the EU, Praluent has been initially approved for the treatment of adult patients with primary hypercholesterolemia (HeFH and non-familial) or mixed dyslipidemia as an adjunct to diet: a) in combination with a statin, or statin with other lipid-lowering therapies in patients unable to reach their LDL-C goals with the maximally-tolerated statin or b) alone or in combination with other lipid-lowering therapies for patients who are statin intolerant, or for whom a statin is contraindicated. This medicinal product is subject to additional monitoring. This will allow quick identification of new safety information. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions. The results of ODYSSEY OUTCOMES, which evaluated the effect of Praluent on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, are currently under evaluation by a number of regulatory authorities worldwide. To date, only the CHMP has completed its assessment.
