Amgen said its potent cholesterol fighter Repatha significantly reduced the risk of heart attacks, strokes and death in patients with heart disease, according to initial results of a large, eagerly-anticipated trial released Thursday.

The data should pave the way for greater acceptance by health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers, who have been rejecting about 75 percent of prescriptions written for the expensive medicine despite multiple appeals by physicians.

No new safety problems cropped up in the 27,500 patient study called Fourier, Amgen said. It also said Repatha's effect on mental function was similar to placebo, likely alleviating concerns that it might impair cognition in some patients.