The antibody is distributed through the circulation, and it is eliminated at low concentrations by binding to its target, and at higher concentrations through a proteolytic pathway. Chemistry
Alirocumab is a human monoclonal antibody of the IgG1 isotype. It is made of two disulfide-linked human heavy chains, each disulfide-linked to a human light chain. It has an approximate molecular weight of 146 kDa.It is produced using Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with recombinant DNA, that are grown in tanks. History
The importance of PCSK9 as a biological target for drug discovery emerged in 2003, when a series of discoveries led to identification of the protein and its gene, its role in causing some cases of familial hypercholesterolaemia when some mutations are present, and its role in causing very low levels of LDL cholesterol when other mutations are present.The discovery and validation of the target set off a race among pharmaceutical and biotech companies.Alirocumab was discovered by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals using its "VelocImmune" mouse, in which many of the genes coding for antibodies have been replaced with human genes. : 255–258   In an investor presentation, Regeneron claimed that with their system, it took only about 19 months from when they first immunized mice with PCSK9 until they filed their IND. : Slide 26    Alirocumab was co-developed with Sanofi under a deal made in 2007. Before it received its international nonproprietary name it was known as REGN727 and SAR236553.Phase 1 trial results were reported in 2012 in The New England Journal of Medicine.
In March 2016, a district court found that alirocumab infringed Amgens patents; Amgen then requested an injunction barring Regeneron and Sanofi from marketing alirocumab, which was granted in January 2017. The judge gave Regeneron and Sanofi 30 days to appeal before the injunction went into effect. In October, 2017 the US Court of Appeals reversed the ban and ordered a new trial after finding the jury was given improper instructions and evidence was withheld. Regeneron and Sanofi were allowed to continue marketing alirocumab during the appeals process.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval of Praluent to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Society and culture
In 2014 as PCSK9 inhibitors approached regulatory approval, market analysts estimated that the overall market for these drugs could be $10B per year, with each of alirocumab and Amgens competing drugs having sales of $3B per year, and other competitors dividing the remaining $4B, based on estimates of an annual price for alirocumab of $10,000 per year. At the same time, pharmacy benefit managers such as Express Scripts and CVS Caremark, while recognizing that the new drugs could help patients who were otherwise left with uncontrolled cholesterol levels, and recognizing that injectable biopharmaceuticals will always be more expensive than pills, and especially more expensive than generic pills, expressed concerns about the burden of the new costs on the health care system.When the drug was approved in July 2015, the announced price was higher than analysts had predicted: $14,600 a year.