Amgen (AMGN), Thursday said that Phase 3 DESCARTES (Durable Effect of PCSK9 Antibody Compared with Placebo Study) trial evaluating the long-term 52-week safety and efficacy of evolocumab for the treatment of high cholesterol met its primary endpoint of percent reduction from baseline in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
The mean percent reduction in LDL-C, or 'bad' cholesterol, was consistent with the results observed in the 52-week analysis of the Phase 2 OSLER (Open Label Study of Long Term Evaluation Against LDL-C) study. The DESCARTES trial evaluated safety, tolerability and efficacy in 901 patients with high LDL-C and a range of cardiovascular risk.
Evolocumab is an investigational fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), a protein that reduces the liver's ability to remove LDL-C from the blood.
"These data contribute to the growing body of research suggesting that evolocumab may offer a new treatment option for patients with dyslipidemia." said Sean Harper, executive vice president of Research and Development of the company.
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June 19, 2026 16:46 ET Major central banks continued to dominate the economic news flow this week too, led by the Federal Reserve, as they announced their latest policy decisions. The Federal Reserve policy session was in focus as it was the first to be led by the new chief Kevin Warsh. In Europe, central banks of the U.K. and Switzerland announced their rate decisions. In Asia, the Bank of Japan drew attention for its policy moves, while data out of China threw some light on the state of the economy.