Astrazeneca obtains first approval for Seloken Zok for the treatment of heart failure
® ASTRAZENECA OBTAINS FIRST APPROVAL FOR SELOKEN ZOK FOR THE TREATMENT OF HEART FAILURE ® AstraZeneca today announced that the beta blocker, Seloken ZOK, has gained its first approval for the treatment of heart failure, an important extension to the existing range of cardiovascular indications for ® Seloken ZOK which include angina, hypertension and post-myocardial infarction. The licence approval was granted in Denmark and the company expects to gain further approvals elsewhere in Europe later this year. ® The new indication for Seloken ZOK (metoprolol CR/XL; controlled release/extended release) in Denmark is for the treatment of mild to severe chronic heart failure as an adjunct to other heart failure therapy. Support for the granting of the licence comes from the results of the MERIT-HF study, published recently, which provided overwhelming evidence of the benefits of Seloken ZOK in patients with heart failure of all degrees of severity when added to standard therapy with an ACE inhibitor ® and a diuretic. Seloken ZOK was found to be associated with a highly significant 34% increase in survival, a highly significant decrease of 41% in sudden death, and a highly significant decrease in death from heart failure of 49%. Hospitalisations for heart failure were also significantly reduced. The ZOK presentation provides smooth 24-hour blood levels of ® Seloken . Dr Hamish Cameron, Therapy Area Director, Cardiovascular Products, said: "The treatment of heart failure with beta blockers in general and ® Seloken ZOK in particular offers the prospect of a longer and better quality life to thousands of people." Heart failure is a common, distressing and disabling condition associated with worse outcomes than many forms of cancer. The MERIT-HF results ® indicate that by treating 27 patients for one year with Seloken ZOK, one death can be prevented. This is a highly effective form of treatment. ® Seloken ZOK, the world's leading beta blocker, was first launched in 1987 and worldwide sales in 1999 totalled US$ 531 million. It is known as ® Toprol-XL in the United States where it is also the market leader. A licence application for heart failure has also been filed in the US. AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of ethical (prescription) pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world with healthcare sales of over $15 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, oncology, anaesthesia including pain management, cardiovascular, central nervous system (CNS) and respiratory products. For further information: Steve Brown, +44 (0)20 7304 5033 Lucy Williams, +44 (0)20 7304 5034 Staffan Ternby, +46 8 553 261 07 Mikael Widell, tel: +46 70 311 99 60 ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/04/25/20000425BIT01050/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/04/25/20000425BIT01050/bit0002.pdf