AstraZeneca's cardiovascular franchise further complemented

ASTRAZENECA'S CARDIOVASCULAR FRANCHISE FURTHER COMPLEMENTED BY MARKETING DEAL WITH KNOLL AstraZeneca PLC today signed an agreement with Knoll AG - the pharmaceuticals arm of BASF Pharma - for the marketing of Reductil (sibutramine), an obesity management treatment, in Europe and other territories. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. AstraZeneca and Knoll will jointly market the product in the majority of countries in Europe, Australia, Asia and South Africa. AstraZeneca will have exclusive rights to the compound for a number of years in four Nordic countries. Reductil, which is a prescription-only drug developed by BASF Pharma, was first launched in the United States in February 1998 under the brand name Meridia, and is currently available in nineteen countries. Doctors have prescribed the medication to more than one million patients. Dr. Tom McKillop, Chief Executive of AstraZeneca, said: "This is an exciting product in a fast growing market. More than 100 million people around the world are suffering from obesity. Reductil will further strengthen our cardiovascular franchise, which, in the future, will also include our cholesterol-lowering superstatin." Dr. Thorlef Spickschen, Chairman of Knoll AG and Head of BASF Pharma, said: This collaboration with one of the leading pharmaceutical companies worldwide will contribute tremendously to the acceptance of pharmacotherapy in the management of obesity, and our promising product, Reductil, will be at the heart of it." Further Enquiries: Steve Brown, +44 171 304 5033 Mikael Widell, Tel. +46 8 703 11 99 60 ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/09/14/19990914BIT00020/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/09/14/19990914BIT00020/bit0002.pdf