Mlndal, Sweden, 7 April AstraZeneca today announced the submission of a regulatory application in the European Union (EU), as part of the Mutual Recognition Variation Procedure to obtain a new indication for Atacand (candesartan cilexetil), its angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor blocker, for use in the treatment of heart failure. The UK acts as the RMS (Reference Member State). Further filings in the US and other markets are expected in the near future.

This submission follows the positive results of the CHARM (Candesartan in Heart failure - Assessment of Reduction in Mortality and morbidity) Programme, first presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in August 2003. CHARM proved Atacand, as the first AT1-receptor blocker, to reduce both cardiovascular deaths as well as hospital admissions, across a broad spectrum of patients with chronic heart failure1.

Additional analyses of the CHARM data, presented at the ACC (American College of Cardiology Meeting, New Orleans, 7-10 March), added further evidence for the benefits of Atacand in CHF. One analysis2 found that New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class improved in a broad spectrum of CHF patients treated with Atacand.

Commenting on the heart failure submission for Atacand, Gunnar Olsson, VP and Head of the Cardiovascular Therapy Area said: "Heart failure remains a very serious, costly condition and there is still a real need for additional, effective therapies. It is a major cause of death, hospital admissions and self-reported quality of life is impaired more by CHF than by any other common chronic medical disorder3,4." He continued: "AstraZeneca is delighted that CHARM has shown that Atacand can benefit a broad range of heart failure patients. This file submission is a step further towards Atacand becoming available to doctors as a new and effective treatment option, offering more benefits to patients both in terms of better outcomes, including improved symptom co
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Contact: Elizabeth Rickard
elizabeth.rickard@ketchum.com
44-207-611-3633
Ketchum
7-Apr-2004

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