This World Heart Day, Amgen Is Releasing Results of a Global Survey Of 3,200 Heart Attack Survivors Conducted Across 13 Countries

Heart Attack Survivors Are Taking Steps to Reduce Their Cardiovascular
Risk. But Are They the Right Ones?

Close
to Half of Survivors Are Not Monitoring Their Cholesterol Regularly

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.,�- Media OutReach - 27 September 2019 - In recognition of World Heart Day on Sunday, September 29, Amgen
(NASDAQ:AMGEN) today released findings from a global survey that evaluated
worldwide heart attack survivors’ perceptions and awareness of the connection
between cholesterol and cardiovascular (CV) events.

 

Globally, patients who have had a heart attack or stroke have a 1 in 3
risk of having another CV event.¹ Lipids, such as low-density
lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), or “bad” cholesterol, are one of the most
important risk factors for heart attack.^2,3

 

The survey’s findings show that while heart attack survivors are
proactively trying to improve their cardiovascular health, they may not fully
understand the importance of
lowering high LDL-C to reduce their risk of another heart attack:

• 97% of heart attack survivors surveyed say they
  are taking at least one key action to try to lower their risk, and 75% have talked to their doctor about the risk
  of another event.⁴
• However,
  confusion remains when it comes to lowering cholesterol. One-third do not know what
  their cholesterol levels should be and 44% are not monitoring their cholesterol
  regularly; only one in five heart attack survivors who have been told they have
  high cholesterol consider it to be a leading risk factor for another event.⁴

“The vast majority of heart attack survivors are taking some action to
lower their risk of another event, but the issue is that most are not
monitoring or managing all modifiable risk factors,” said Darryl Sleep, M.D., senior
vice president, Global Medical and Chief Medical Officer, Amgen. “We’re using
this World Heart Day to urge all people who are high-risk, like heart attack
survivors, to speak with their doctor about the link between cholesterol and
heart attacks, and how they can lower their cholesterol levels.”

 

Key
survey findings — which included over
3,200 people in United States, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, United Kingdom, France,
Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, China, South Korea, and Japan — revealed
that patients might not be having the right conversations with their doctors.

• 63% of surveyed patients do not believe high
  cholesterol is a chronic condition requiring long-term care, and 24% of
  survivors say their doctor has not discussed the role of cholesterol in heart
  attacks.⁴
• Fewer women who have survived a heart attack
  know their cholesterol levels and what their target levels should be than men
  who have survived a heart attack.⁴
• In addition, while younger survivors (aged
  40-49) are more concerned about cardiovascular disease (CVD) than their older
  peers, fewer understood that it is a chronic
  condition requiring long-term management and care.⁴  

World Heart Day, organized by the World Heart Federation, is a campaign
that unites people from all countries and backgrounds in the fight against CVD
burden, and inspires and drives international action to encourage heart-healthy
living across the world. The survey shows patients are willing to act, but need
the right information from physicians to help manage their risk and take the right
actions.

 

Approximately 8 of 10 very high-risk adults are still unable to attain
their LDL-C goal despite lipid-lowering therapy.⁵ Very high-risk
adults have a history of multiple major atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events
or one major event and multiple high-risk conditions. Professional cardiology
societies around the world now recognize that lower cholesterol reduces the risk
of another CV event, which is reflected in updated treatment guidelines for
high-risk patients.⁶

 

“This World Heart Day, we want people to make a promise to themselves to
look after their hearts,” said Jean-Luc Eiselé, CEO, World Heart Federation.
“Globally, cholesterol levels have hardly changed in nearly 30 years,⁷
and the incidence of heart disease is expected to rise by 40% by 2035.⁸
Doctors and health organizations around the world need to work with all
patients, including high-risk to help them understand the right steps to take
after a heart attack. This global survey reveals the continued confusion
surrounding LDL-C and CVD, and the need for more people to act.”

 

Amgen encourages heart attack survivors or anyone concerned about their
cardiovascular health to spend this World Heart Day learning about cholesterol.
For more information, visit Cholesterol911.com and download the doctor
discussion guide to find out what questions to ask to start taking control of
your LDL-C.

 

About the Survey

The research was commissioned by Amgen and conducted by KRC
Research, an independent global public opinion research consultancy. A total of
3,236 online surveys were completed by post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients
aged 40 or older in 13 different countries. Participating countries included
the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany,
Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, China, South Korea, and Japan. The survey
included approximately 250 MI patients from each participating country. Data
collection took place from June 21 to July 18, 2019.

About World Heart Day and the World Heart
Federation

World Heart Day is a global campaign during which individuals, families,
communities and governments around the world participate in activities to take
charge of their heart health and that of others. Through this campaign, the
World Heart Federation unites people from all countries and backgrounds in the
fight against the CVD burden, and inspires and drives international action to
encourage heart-healthy living across the world. The World Heart Federation works at the international and national
levels to build global commitment to address CV health at the policy level,
generate and exchange ideas, share best practice, advance scientific knowledge
and promote knowledge transfer to tackle CVD.

 

References

1. Bhatt DL, et al. JAMA.
2010;304(12):1350-1357. 

2. Yusuf S, et al. Lancet.
2004; 364:937-952.

3. Goldstein JL, et al. Arterioscler
Thromb Vasc Biol. 2009; 29(4):431-438.

4. Data on File, Amgen; 2019.

5. Gitt A, et al. Atherosclerosis.
2016; 255:200-209.

6. Grundy SM, et al. J
Am Coll Cardiol. 2018; doi:10.1016/ j.jacc.2018.11.003.

7. World Health Organization. Raised Cholesterol. Available
at:https://www.who.int/gho/ncd/risk_factors/cholesterol_text/en/. Last accessed
September 13, 2019.

8. RTI International. Projections of Cardiovascular Disease
Prevalence and Costs: 2015–2035. Available at: https://healthmetrics.heart.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Projections-of-Cardiovascular-Disease.pdf.
Last accessed September 13, 2019.

About Amgen

Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients
suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and
delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools
like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and
understand the fundamentals of human biology.

 

Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its
biologics manufacturing expertise to strive for solutions that improve health
outcomes and dramatically improve people’s lives. A biotechnology pioneer since
1980, Amgen has grown to be the world’s largest independent biotechnology
company, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a
pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential. 

 

For more information, visit www.amgen.com and
follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen.

 

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