Diplomat to dispense new cholesterol med Repatha

FLINT, Mich. — Diplomat Pharmacy on Friday announced that it would be dispending Amgen’s recently approved cholesterol treatment drug Repatha.

“Statins are the most widely prescribed class of medications for those with high cholesterol, and for those who are statin-intolerant, finding treatment can be difficult," said Gary Kadlec, Diplomat's president. “With Repatha, we are motivated by the thought of offering those patients a new innovative means of treatment.”

Repatha is one in a new class of cholesterol medications called PSCK9 (proprotein convertase substilisin kexin type 9) inhibitors, which are potentially an alternative to statins — albeit an expensive one, as CVS Health highlighted when it called for new guidelines around cholesterol treatment in the Journal of the American Medical Association.