AstraZeneca gets UK NICE backing for Brilique; collaborates with PTC for oncology and other potential drugs

30 June 2011

There was good news this morning for Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN), when the UK’s drug watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued a draft guidance recommending the National Health Service use of the company’s clot-busting drug Brilique (ticagrelor; which also uses the trade name Brilinta) in combination with aspirin as an option to treat adults with acute coronary syndromes.

The blood thinner, which analysts have forecast could generate annual sales of between $2 billion and $3.3 billion, gained European Marketing approval late last year (The Pharma Letter December 6, 2010) but is still awaiting clearance in the all-important US market.

The NICE draft guidance recommends ticagrelor in combination with aspirin as a treatment option in adults with acute coronary syndrome, including those with STEMI and NSTEMI. It also recommends ticagrelor in combination with aspirin as a treatment option for unstable angina in hospitalised patients who have changes on an ECG suggestive of ischemia and a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

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