Amgen Stock Extends Rally After-Hours As CEO Hypes New Cholesterol Drug Data On Jim Cramer’s Show

• CEO Bob Bradway told CNBC’s Jim Cramer that nearly all heart attacks stem from “modifiable” risks like high LDL, emphasizing the need for early cholesterol control.
• Late-stage trial data showed that Amgen’s cholesterol drug cut the risk of a first heart attack by 36% and the risk of major cardiovascular events by 25%.
• The findings position Amgen amid a growing push to prevent heart disease before it starts, alongside emerging gene-editing and oral cholesterol treatments.

Amgen’s stock extended its rally for a second day and climbed after hours as CEO Bob Bradway highlighted new late-stage data showing the company’s drug Repatha can help prevent heart disease before it begins by targeting “bad” cholesterol.

CEO Links Heart Attack Prevention To Cholesterol Control

Speaking with CNBC's Jim Cramer, Bradway said the message from Amgen’s latest study is clear: controlling cholesterol early can make a real difference. “I think what the study does is it helps people appreciate that, again, when it comes to LDL cholesterol, lower is better,” he said. “The sooner you get to the lower levels, the better, especially for people, for example, who have diabetes, people who, for other reasons, are concerned about their risk of a heart attack or stroke.”

He noted that heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. but added that because high LDL cholesterol is “a modifiable risk factor,” it’s something patients and doctors can act on before tragedy strikes.

Study Shows Major Drop In First-Time Heart Attacks

Bradway’s comments followed detailed results from Amgen’s Phase 3 VESALIUS-CV trial, which evaluated Repatha (evolocumab) in more than 12,000 adults with atherosclerosis or diabetes who had not had a heart attack or stroke.

When Repatha was added to standard cholesterol-lowering treatments, it made a clear difference. The drug cut the risk of a first heart attack by 36% and reduced the overall chance of major cardiovascular problems, including heart attack, stroke, and heart-related death, by 25%. Patients who took Repatha also saw their “bad” LDL cholesterol levels fall sharply, averaging 45 mg/dL compared with 109 mg/dL among those on placebo.

Repatha Moves Heart Care Toward Prevention

The findings make Repatha the first and only PCSK9 inhibitor proven to significantly reduce the risk of a first heart attack or stroke, the company said. First approved in 2015, Repatha has now been prescribed to more than 6.7 million people worldwide. Earlier this year, the FDA expanded its approval to include adults at increased risk for cardiovascular events caused by uncontrolled LDL cholesterol.

Broader Push To Tackle ‘Bad’ Cholesterol

The Repatha results arrive amid an increase in innovation aimed at lowering LDL cholesterol, the “bad” fat that clogs arteries and drives heart disease. Over the weekend, CRISPR Therapeutics reported early data showing its gene-editing therapy CTX310 cut LDL and triglyceride levels by about half after a single infusion, while Merck presented late-stage results for its oral therapy enlicitide, which reduced LDL by nearly 60% with a safety profile comparable to placebo.

Stocktwits Users See Repatha As Textbook LDL-Lowering Example

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for Amgen was ‘extremely bullish’ amid ‘high’ message volume.

One user said the new Repatha data were consistent with long-established trends, noting that lowering LDL cholesterol “produces a very predictable reduction in cardiovascular events,” adding that the results align closely with expectations based on its LDL-lowering effect.

Amgen’s stock has risen 27% so far in 2025.

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