About PRALUENT
What is PRALUENT?
In adults with cardiovascular (CV) disease,
PRALUENT is proven to reduce the risk of having certain CV events (heart attack, stroke)
If you have heart disease, and your bad (LDL) cholesterol remains high, you're at risk for a CV event, like a heart attack, stroke, or certain types of chest pain conditions (unstable angina) requiring hospitalization.
*Based on a 4-year follow-up of over 20,000 people who had a prior heart attack or stroke; cardiovascular event is defined as CV death, heart attack, stroke, or rehospitalization.
Who should use PRALUENT?
PRALUENT is an injectable prescription medicine used in adults with cardiovascular disease to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and certain types of chest pain conditions (unstable angina) requiring hospitalization.
It is not known if PRALUENT is safe and effective in children.
Every year, on average, almost 800,000 Americans will have a heart attack.
And if you’ve already had a heart attack or a stroke, your risk of another cardiovascular event is 1 in 3.*
*Based on a 4-year follow-up of over 20,000 people who had a prior heart attack or stroke; cardiovascular event is defined as CV death, heart attack, stroke, or rehospitalization.
The higher your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels, the greater your risk of a heart attack, stroke, or certain types of chest pain conditions (unstable angina) requiring hospitalization.
In people who have already had a CV event, as your bad cholesterol levels rise, so does your risk for another CV event. This is typically related to a process called atherosclerosis—a dangerous condition that develops when bad cholesterol combines with other substances in the blood and turns into plaques that build up in your arteries.
As plaque builds up in the artery, it can make it difficult for blood to flow. Like a buildup of cars can cause a traffic jam, plaque can continue to grow until it either blocks an artery or a piece of it can break off and get carried by the bloodstream until it gets stuck in another artery and forms a clot that may rapidly block that artery.
Even if you feel fine, keeping your bad cholesterol in check is an important part of helping to reduce your risk for having a heart attack or stroke.
Adults with primary hyperlipidemia, including two familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) conditions that cause genetically high levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol:Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH)
Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH)
Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH)
PRALUENT is an injectable prescription medicine used to help reduce LDL cholestrol, or bad cholesterol:
- Along with diet, or together with other cholesterol-lowering medicines in adults with high blood cholesterol levels (also known as primary hyperlipidemia), including an inheritable condition called HeFH
- With other cholesterol-lowering medicines for adults with HoFH
It is not known if PRALUENT is safe and effective in children.
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited condition. This condition is caused by mutations in at least one of four genes that control how the body processes cholesterol, which can lead to very high levels of bad cholesterol.
FH can take two forms:
- HeFH develops when one mutated gene is inherited from one parent and one normal gene is inherited from the other parent. If one parent has FH, there is a 50% chance their children will also have it
- HoFH develops when a mutated gene is inherited from both parents who have FH themselves
Why does LDL cholesterol matter?
If elevated LDL-C cholesterol is left untreated, people with HeFH can have LDL cholesterol levels above 190 mg/dL, double the target levels, while those with HoFH can have LDL cholesterol levels 4 or even 10 times the target levels, meaning people with FH can have a 20x increased risk for premature heart disease.
While HeFH is relatively common, HoFH is significantly rarer. Approximately 1 in 250 people worldwide have HeFH, while 1 in 250,000 people worldwide have HoFH.
Many people are unaware they have FH until they develop heart disease or suffer a cardiovascular event.
Signs and symptoms of FH
Tuberous xanthomas Bumps or lumps that form around the knuckles, elbows, and knees
Tendon xanthomas Swollen or painful tendons in hands or feet
Xanthelasmas Yellow areas around the eyes
Corneal arcus White arc near the iris
Learn about another HoFH treatment option from Regeneron that may help you to control your cholesterol
Learn more about very high levels of inherited bad cholesterol and if you are at risk.
Download the FH brochure.
Download the PRALUENT brochure
Learn how PRALUENT can help adults with CV disease reduce the risk of having another heart attack or stroke.
Know your LDL cholesterol levels
To help you understand your cholesterol goals, it’s important to know what your LDL cholesterol levels mean. Knowing your LDL cholesterol levels can help you better manage your cholesterol and know when it may be time to make a change. If your current treatment plan isn’t bringing down your LDL cholesterol far enough, ask your doctor about PRALUENT. Use the chart below to talk to your doctor about your cholesterol goals.
What do your LDL cholesterol levels mean?
| LDL-cholesterol level | Risk level |
|---|---|
| Less than 70 mg/dL | Ideal for patients at very high risk, or with existing heart disease |
| Less than 100 mg/dL | Ideal for patients at high risk, without heart disease |
| 100-129 mg/dL | Near ideal if there is no heart disease; high if there is heart disease |
| 130-159 mg/dL | Borderline high if there is no heart disease; high if there is heart disease |
| 160-189 mg/dL | High if there is no heart disease; very high if there is heart disease |
| 190 mg/dL and above | Very high |
Who should not use PRALUENT?
Do not use PRALUENT if you are allergic to alirocumab or to any of the ingredients in PRALUENT.
How PRALUENT works
PRALUENT is not a statin. Statins help lower the production of bad cholesterol. PRALUENT works by blocking a protein (called PCSK9) that contributes to high levels of bad cholesterol. Adding PRALUENT helps increase your liver’s ability to clear bad cholesterol from your bloodstream.
Though they work differently, PRALUENT and statins can work together to lower your bad cholesterol when added to a healthy diet. PRALUENT may be used with or without other cholesterol-lowering medications. PRALUENT is an injectable medication called a PCSK9 inhibitor. It is taken every 2 weeks or 4 weeks (monthly). Click here for more information about dosing PRALUENT.
Gina's PRALUENT Story
Watch the video to learn how it’s helped her
Talking to your doctor
Communicating with your doctor is an important part of getting good medical care. Use these talking points to help get the conversation about PRALUENT started:
- How could PRALUENT help lower bad (LDL) cholesterol?
- How could PRALUENT help reduce the risk of another heart attack or stroke?
- Are diet and lifestyle changes enough to lower my risk of another heart attack or stroke?
- Can I take PRALUENT with other medications I’m taking? How does PRALUENT work differently from statins?
- How long will I need to take PRALUENT?
- What should I do if I miss a dose?
- Are there resources available to help me get started with PRALUENT, such as a self-injection training video or financial support?
Download a PDF version you can take to your next doctor visit.
The power of PRALUENT
See how PRALUENT is proven to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and certain types of chest pain conditions (unstable angina) requiring hospitalization in adults with CV disease.
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