Big biotech stock Amgen's (AMGN 2.33%) in no short supply of optimism for eager investors. Despite the company's so-so earnings projections going forward, it's thrived behind star drugs Enbrel and Neulasta, which have shown no signs of slowing down their blockbuster pace. That financial strength has propelled Amgen's stock to a gain of more than 34% over the past year, but the company's sturdy pipeline could be ready to deliver another dose of good news.

Amgen's developmental PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab struck gold in a recent clinical trial, and this up-and-coming cholesterol-fighting drug's fueling high hopes of a new blockbuster to add to Amgen's drug portfolio. The cholesterol medication niche isn't a small one, however, and rival drugs from Regeneron (REGN -1.47%) and Pfizer (PFE 1.80%), among others, are racing against Amgen to capture the PCSK9 crown -- and the huge opportunity that comes with it -- in the near future.

Can Amgen's evolocumab make it to the market and become investors' next big hope for this star-studded big biotech? Find out what you need to know in the video below, as Motley Fool contributor Dan Carroll takes you through this promising health-care niche -- and why Amgen and its investors are poised to score big if evolocumab can win over regulators.