Repatha Side Effects and Everything You Should Know About It

Are you currently using Repatha? Or perhaps, consider to start using it? Well before taking any decision, it will be better to know more information about Repatha side effects along with its other details.

Repatha is a brand name of evolocumab type of medicine. It specifically works as liver helper to reduce the levels of low-density lipoprotein or LDL, often refers to ‘bad’ cholesterol, which circulates in one’s blood.

Repatha is used along with a low-fat diet and other cholesterol-reducing medications in people with heterozygous or homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. Both familial hypercholesterolemias are the inherited types of high cholesterol which can cause high blood levels of LDL and can be the cause of plaque building up inside the arteries.

People with atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis also use Repatha. Atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis is heart or blood vessel problems caused by plaque that harden or build up in the arteries. But, it’s unknown if Repatha can lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, or other heart complications in people with high blood levels of cholesterol.

Now, one question emerges as we know how good this medicine is related to reducing high cholesterol level: what are Repatha side effects? Don’t worry; we will discuss the matter in this article. Along with its side effects, how to take the medicine, dosage, and warnings that follow will also be included in the topic.

Repatha Side Effects; Precaution

Repatha shouldn’t be used by anyone who has allergy to it or by anyone younger than 13 years old without prescriptions. Taking the medicine without advice from healthcare providers only worsen the Repatha side effects on its users. Here are the things you should tell your doctors to make sure that this medicine is safe for you.

Repatha Usage

Take Repatha precisely as it was prescribed to you. Depend on the amount of dose given to you, Repatha is generally taken once or twice a month. You may separately use up to three injections at one time.

Follow all the instructions and directions on your prescription package and label. Do not increase or lessen the dosage amount without doctors’ advice since there’re Repatha side effects you should concern about.

Repatha Side Effects; Dose

The usual dose for adult with hyperlipidemia is as follows:

The medicine with such dose shouldn’t be given in patients without atherosclerotic cardio vascular disease or familial hypercholesterolemia. Or, the Repatha side effects may occur worse than they should be.

While the usual dose for adult with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia is as follows:

Measure low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels every 4 to 8 weeks after start using the drug.

If you miss a dose, use the missed dose within 7 days after the due injection time. Skip the missed dose if you pass more than 7 days for the injection.

Repatha Side Effects

Besides causing the expected effects of reducing the high blood levels of bad cholesterol, Repatha may also cause unwanted side effects. The side effects of Repatha are categorized as common and major effects which you should get medical help if you have them.

While common Repatha side effects themselves are distinguished into more common and less common side effects. These effects occurred may not need any medical attention. They will disappear in time your body has adapted with the medicine work.

While allergic reactions to Repatha are:

Repatha Side Effects for Specific Populations

1. Pregnancy

There are no data available related to the risk of using Repatha in pregnant women.

“In the animal reproduction studies, there were no effects on pregnancy. It also shows no effects on neonatal/infant development when monkeys were subcutaneously administered evolocumab from organogenesis through parturition at dose exposures up to 12 times results the exposure at the maximum recommended human dose of 420 mg for every month. In a similar study with another drug in the PCSK9 inhibitor antibody class, humoral immune suppression was observed in infant monkeys exposed to that drug in utero at all doses. You should know that the exposures where immune suppression occurred in infant monkeys were greater than those expected clinically. No assessment for immune suppression was conducted with evolocumab in infant monkeys. Measurable evolocumab serum concentrations were observed in the infant monkeys at birth at comparable levels to maternal serum, indicating that evolocumab, like other IgG antibodies, crosses the placental barrier.” (Drugs.com)

Note:
PCSK9 is proproteinconvertase subtilisin kexin 9
IgG is immunoglobulin G

The entire experiment implies that evolocumab in the brand of Repatha is safe to be used in pregnant women as the monoclonal antibodies are unlikely crossing the placenta in the first trimester.

However, the opposite occurrence is likely to happen in increasing amounts in the second and third trimeseter. All in all, the choice to use ‘likely’ and ‘unlikely’ words emphasize that there are no such things to ensure what really will happen.

Therefore, consider the benefits and risks like Repatha side effects to the fetus before prescribing the medicine to pregnant women.

2. Lactation

There are also no data regarding any harm Repatha can cause to human milk, breastfed infant, or milk production. But still, it will be best to consider the breastfeeding health benefits and development before prescribing the medicine on breastfeeding women.

3. Pediatric Use

The Repatha safety and effectiveness in adolescents (ages 13 to 17 years old) were established and it was confirmed to be generally similar to that observed among adult patients with HoFH (homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia).

Also, the Repatha are safe and effective in pediatric patients with HoFH who are younger than 13 years old and in pediatric patients with primary hyperlipidemia or HeFH weren’t established yet.

4. Geriatric Use

There are no differences in Repatha safety and effectiveness between 1420 patients in the ages of more than 65 years old and younger patients. But we can’t rule out the greater sensitivity of the elderly.

5. Renal Impairment

No need to adjust the dose for patients with mild to moderate renal impairment.

6. Hepatic Impairment

There is also no need to adjust the dose for patients with mild to moderate hepatic impairment.

Potential Advantages and Disadvantages

Before Repatha is invented, people with high levels of bad cholesterol were treated with complicated therapy they didn’t obey which led them failed to achieve an optimal LDL-C of 100 mg/dL. At least, one in ten cardiovascular disease (CVD) events is directed right to disobedience.

Now, with the latest breakthrough in cardiology – Repatha – people with HoFH or HoFH can be treated easily with only injections that they get either once a month or once every two weeks.

Furthermore, they can do the treatment by themselves at home. The only disadvantage besides the possible occurrences of Repatha side effects is that it’s more costly than the current standard lipid-modifying therapy (LMT) treatment option.

In Comparison

Like has been mentioned above, before Repatha is invented, people with high cholesterol are treated with therapy. Apparently, the therapy involves Statins, the most common medications types used to help reduce cholesterol.

While Repatha is injected under the skin, Statins are taken by mouth. They come in the form of capsules or tablets. There are many types of Statins available today, including:

Unlike Repatha that can only be prescribed for certain types of people, Statins can be given to any people with high cholesterol. And since Statins has existed for much longer time (available since 1980s) than Repatha (approved by FDA in 2015), many people know how effective Statins are despite the difficulty they are used in therapy.

On the other hand, since Repatha is newer, it has much less long-term safety data. Also, the cost of Repatha is much more expensive compared to Statins.

Repatha Side Effects; Conclusion