Repatha Side Effects Center

Last updated on RxList: 8/30/2022
Repatha Side Effects Center

What Is Repatha?

Repatha (evolocumab) Injection is a human monoclonal immunoglobulin G2 (IgG2) as an adjunct to diet and maximally tolerated statin therapy for the treatment of adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) or clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), who require additional lowering of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Repatha is also indicated as an adjunct to diet and other LDL-lowering therapies (e.g., statins, ezetimibe, LDL apheresis) for the treatment of patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) who require additional lowering of LDL-C.

What Are Side Effects of Repatha?

Common side effects of Repatha include:

Repatha may cause serious side effects including:

  • rash,
  • hives,
  • swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat,
  • difficulty breathing, and
  • swelling under the skin

Get medical help right away, if you have any of the symptoms listed above.

Seek medical care or call 911 at once if you have the following serious side effects:

  • Serious eye symptoms such as sudden vision loss, blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights;
  • Serious heart symptoms such as fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeats; fluttering in your chest; shortness of breath; and sudden dizziness, lightheartedness, or passing out;
  • Severe headache, confusion, slurred speech, arm or leg weakness, trouble walking, loss of coordination, feeling unsteady, very stiff muscles, high fever, profuse sweating, or tremors.

This document does not contain all possible side effects and others may occur. Check with your physician for additional information about side effects.

Dosage for Repatha

The recommended subcutaneous dosage of Repatha in patients with HeFH or patients with primary hyperlipidemia with established clinical atherosclerotic CVD is either 140 mg every 2 weeks OR 420 mg once monthly.

What Drugs, Substances, or Supplements Interact with Repatha?

Repatha may interact with other drugs. Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use.

Repatha During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant before using Repatha. It is unknown if Repatha passes into breast milk. Consult your doctor before breastfeeding.

Additional Information

Our Repatha (evolocumab) Injection Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

QUESTION

What is cholesterol? See Answer
Repatha Consumer Information

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives, severe itching; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have:

  • high blood sugar--increased thirst, increased urination, dry mouth, fruity breath odor.

Common side effects may include:

  • redness, pain, or bruising where an injection was given;
  • back pain;
  • flu symptoms; or
  • cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

SLIDESHOW

How to Lower Your Cholesterol & Save Your Heart See Slideshow
Repatha Professional Information

SIDE EFFECTS

The following adverse reactions are also discussed in other sections of the label:

  • Hypersensitivity Reactions [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]

Clinical Trials Experience

Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice.

Adverse Reactions In Adults With Primary Hyperlipidemia

The data described below reflect exposure to REPATHA in 8 placebo-controlled trials that included 2651 patients treated with REPATHA, including 557 exposed for 6 months and 515 exposed for 1 year (median treatment duration of 12 weeks). The mean age of the population was 57 years, 49% of the population were women, 85% White, 6% Black, 8% Asians, and 2% other races.

Adverse Reactions In A 52-Week Controlled Trial

In a 52-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 599 patients received 420 mg of REPATHA subcutaneously once monthly [see Clinical Studies]. The mean age was 56 years (range: 22 to 75 years), 23% were older than 65 years, 52% women, 80% White, 8% Black, 6% Asian; 6% identified as Hispanic ethnicity. Adverse reactions reported in at least 3% of REPATHA-treated patients, and more frequently than in placebo-treated patients are shown in Table 1. Adverse reactions led to discontinuation of treatment in 2.2% of REPATHA-treated patients and 1% of placebo-treated patients. The most common adverse reaction that led to REPATHA treatment discontinuation and occurred at a rate greater than placebo was myalgia (0.3% versus 0% for REPATHA and placebo, respectively).

Table 1: Adverse Reactions Occurring in ≥ 3% of REPATHA-treated Patients and More Frequently than with Placebo in a 52-Week Trial

Placebo
(N = 302) %
REPATHA
(N = 599) %
Nasopharyngitis 9.6 10.5
Upper respiratory tract infection 6.3 9.3
Influenza 6.3 7.5
Back pain 5.6 6.2
Injection site reactions† 5.0 5.7
Cough 3.6 4.5
Urinary tract infection 3.6 4.5
Sinusitis 3.0 4.2
Headache 3.6 4.0
Myalgia 3.0 4.0
Dizziness 2.6 3.7
Musculoskeletal pain 3.0 3.3
Hypertension 2.3 3.2
Diarrhea 2.6 3.0
Gastroenteritis 2.0 3.0
† includes erythema, pain, bruising

Adverse Reactions In Seven Pooled 12-Week Controlled

Trials In seven pooled 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials, 993 patients received 140 mg of REPATHA subcutaneously every 2 weeks and 1059 patients received 420 mg of REPATHA subcutaneously monthly. The mean age was 57 years (range: 18 to 80 years), 29% were older than 65 years, 49% women, 85% White, 5% Black, 9% Asian; 5% identified as Hispanic ethnicity. Adverse reactions reported in at least 1% of REPATHA-treated patients, and more frequently than in placebo-treated patients, are shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Adverse Reactions Occurring in ≥ 1% of REPATHA-treated Patients and More Frequently than with Placebo in Pooled 12-Week Trials

Placebo
(N = 1224)%
REPATHA†
(N = 2052)%
Nasopharyngitis 3.9 4.0
Back pain 2.2 2.3
Upper respiratory tract infection 2.0 2.1
Arthralgia 1.6 1.8
Nausea 1.2 1.8
Fatigue 1.0 1.6
Muscle spasms 1.2 1.3
Urinary tract infection 1.2 1.3
Cough 0.7 1.2
Influenza 1.1 1.2
Contusion 0.5 1.0
†140 mg every 2 weeks and 420 mg once monthly combined

Adverse Reactions In Eight Pooled Controlled Trials (Seven 12-Week Trials and One 52-Week Trial)

The adverse reactions described below are from a pool of the 52-week trial and seven 12-week trials. The mean and median exposure durations of REPATHA in this pool of eight trials were 20 weeks and 12 weeks, respectively.

Local Injection Site Reactions

Injection site reactions occurred in 3.2% and 3.0% of REPATHA-treated and placebo-treated patients, respectively. The most common injection site reactions were erythema, pain, and bruising. The proportions of patients who discontinued treatment due to local injection site reactions in REPATHA-treated patients and placebo-treated patients were 0.1% and 0%, respectively.

Hypersensitivity Reactions

Hypersensitivity reactions occurred in 5.1% and 4.7% of REPATHA-treated and placebo-treated patients, respectively. The most common hypersensitivity reactions were rash (1.0% versus 0.5% for REPATHA and placebo, respectively), eczema (0.4% versus 0.2%), erythema (0.4% versus 0.2%), and urticaria (0.4% versus 0.1%).

Adverse Reactions In The Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial

In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled cardiovascular outcomes trial, 27,525 patients received at least one dose of REPATHA or placebo [see Clinical Studies]. The mean age was 62.5 years (range: 40 to 86 years), 45% were 65 years or older, 9% were 75 years or older, 25% women, 85% White, 2% Black and 10% Asian; 8% identified as Hispanic ethnicity. Patients were exposed to REPATHA or placebo for a median of 24.8 months; 91% of patients were exposed for ≥ 12 months, 54% were exposed for ≥ 24 months and 5% were exposed for ≥ 36 months.

The safety profile of REPATHA in this trial was generally consistent with the safety profile described above in the 12-and 52-week controlled trials involving patients with primary hyperlipidemia. Common adverse reactions (> 5% of patients treated with REPATHA and occurring more frequently than placebo) included diabetes mellitus (8.8% REPATHA, 8.2% placebo), nasopharyngitis (7.8% REPATHA, 7.4% placebo), and upper respiratory tract infection (5.1% REPATHA, 4.8% placebo).

Among the 16,676 patients without diabetes mellitus at baseline, the incidence of new-onset diabetes mellitus during the trial was 8.1% in patients treated with REPATHA compared with 7.7% in patients that received placebo.

Adverse Reactions In Pediatric Patients With HeFH

In a 24-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of 157 pediatric patients with HeFH, 104 patients received 420 mg REPATHA subcutaneously once monthly [see Clinical Studies]. The mean age was 13.7 years (range: 10 to 17 years), 56% were female, 85% White, 1% Black, 1% Asian, and 13% other; 8% identified as Hispanic ethnicity. Common adverse reactions (> 5% of patients treated with REPATHA and occurring more frequently than placebo) included:

  • Nasopharyngitis (12% versus 11%)
  • Headache (11% versus 2%)
  • Oropharyngeal pain (7% versus 0%)
  • Influenza (6% versus 4%)
  • Upper respiratory tract infection (6% versus 2%)

Adverse Reactions In Adults And Pediatric Patients With HoFH

In a 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 49 patients with HoFH, 33 patients received 420 mg of REPATHA subcutaneously once monthly [see Clinical Studies]. The mean age was 31 years (range: 13 to 57 years), 49% were women, 90% White, 4% Asian, and 6% other. The adverse reactions that occurred in at least two (6.1%) REPATHA-treated patients, and more frequently than in placebo-treated patients, included:

  • Upper respiratory tract infection (9.1% versus 6.3%)
  • Influenza (9.1% versus 0%)
  • Gastroenteritis (6.1% versus 0%)
  • Nasopharyngitis (6.1% versus 0%)

In a multicenter, open-label 5-year extension study, 106 patients with HoFH, including 14 pediatric patients, received 420 mg of REPATHA subcutaneously once monthly or every 2 weeks [see Clinical Studies]. The mean age was 34 years (range: 13 to 68 years), 51% were women, 80% White, 12% Asian, 1% Native American, and 7% other; 5% identified as Hispanic ethnicity. No new adverse reactions were observed during the open-label extension study.

Immunogenicity

As with all therapeutic proteins, there is potential for immunogenicity. The detection of antibody formation is highly dependent on the sensitivity and specificity of the assay. Additionally, the observed incidence of antibody (including neutralizing antibody) positivity in an assay may be influenced by several factors including assay methodology, sample handling, timing of sample collection, concomitant medications, and underlying disease. For these reasons, comparison of the incidence of antibodies to REPATHA in the studies described below with the incidence of antibodies in other studies or to other products may be misleading.

The immunogenicity of REPATHA has been evaluated using an electrochemiluminescent bridging screening immunoassay for the detection of binding anti-drug antibodies. For patients whose sera tested positive in the screening immunoassay, an in vitro biological assay was performed to detect neutralizing antibodies.

In a pool of placebo-and active-controlled clinical trials, 0.3% (48 out of 17,992) of adult patients treated with at least one dose of REPATHA tested positive for the development of binding antibodies. Patients whose sera tested positive for binding antibodies were further evaluated for neutralizing antibodies; none of the patients tested positive for neutralizing antibodies.

The development of anti-evolocumab antibodies was not detected in clinical trials of pediatric patients treated with REPATHA.

There was no evidence that the presence of anti-drug binding antibodies impacted the pharmacokinetic profile, clinical response, or safety of REPATHA.

Postmarketing Experience

The following additional adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of REPATHA. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.

  • Hypersensitivity reactions: Angioedema
  • Influenza-like illness

DRUG INTERACTIONS

No Information provided

Read the entire FDA prescribing information for Repatha (Evolocumab Injection, for Subcutaneous Injection)

© Repatha Patient Information is supplied by Cerner Multum, Inc. and Repatha Consumer information is supplied by First Databank, Inc., used under license and subject to their respective copyrights.

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