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

Closeto 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 evaluatedworldwide heart attack survivors' perceptions and awareness of the connectionbetween cholesterol and cardiovascular (CV) events.

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

The survey's findings show that while heart attack survivors areproactively trying to improve their cardiovascular health, they may not fullyunderstand the importance oflowering high LDL-C to reduce their risk of another heart attack:

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

"The vast majority of heart attack survivors are taking some action tolower their risk of another event, but the issue is that most are notmonitoring or managing all modifiable risk factors," said Darryl Sleep, M.D., seniorvice president, Global Medical and Chief Medical Officer, Amgen. "We're usingthis World Heart Day to urge all people who are high-risk, like heart attacksurvivors, to speak with their doctor about the link between cholesterol andheart attacks, and how they can lower their cholesterol levels."

Keysurvey findings -- which included over3,200 people in United States, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, United Kingdom, France,Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, China, South Korea, and Japan -- revealedthat patients might not be having the right conversations with their doctors.

• 63% of surveyed patients do not believe highcholesterol is a chronic condition requiring long-term care, and 24% ofsurvivors say their doctor has not discussed the role of cholesterol in heartattacks.⁴
• Fewer women who have survived a heart attackknow their cholesterol levels and what their target levels should be than menwho have survived a heart attack.⁴
• In addition, while younger survivors (aged40-49) are more concerned about cardiovascular disease (CVD) than their olderpeers, fewer understood that it is a chroniccondition requiring long-term management and care.⁴  

World Heart Day, organized by the World Heart Federation, is a campaignthat unites people from all countries and backgrounds in the fight against CVDburden, and inspires and drives international action to encourage heart-healthyliving across the world. The survey shows patients are willing to act, but needthe right information from physicians to help manage their risk and take the rightactions.

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

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

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

About the Survey

The research was commissioned by Amgen and conducted by KRCResearch, an independent global public opinion research consultancy. A total of3,236 online surveys were completed by post-myocardial infarction (MI) patientsaged 40 or older in 13 different countries. Participating countries includedthe United States, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany,Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, China, South Korea, and Japan. The surveyincluded approximately 250 MI patients from each participating country. Datacollection took place from June 21 to July 18, 2019.

About World Heart Day and the World HeartFederation

World Heart Day is a global campaign during which individuals, families,communities and governments around the world participate in activities to takecharge of their heart health and that of others. Through this campaign, theWorld Heart Federation unites people from all countries and backgrounds in thefight against the CVD burden, and inspires and drives international action toencourage heart-healthy living across the world. The World Heart Federation works at the international and nationallevels to build global commitment to address CV health at the policy level,generate and exchange ideas, share best practice, advance scientific knowledgeand 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. ArteriosclerThromb 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. JAm Coll Cardiol. 2018; doi:10.1016/ j.jacc.2018.11.003.

7. World Health Organization. Raised Cholesterol. Availableat:https://www.who.int/gho/ncd/risk_factors/cholesterol_text/en/. Last accessedSeptember 13, 2019.

8. RTI International. Projections of Cardiovascular DiseasePrevalence 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 patientssuffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing anddelivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using toolslike advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease andunderstand the fundamentals of human biology.

Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages itsbiologics manufacturing expertise to strive for solutions that improve healthoutcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer since1980, Amgen has grown to be the world's largest independent biotechnologycompany, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing apipeline of medicines with breakaway potential. 

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

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