13th Mar 2006 07:02
AstraZeneca PLC13 March 2006 CRESTOR(TM) shows regression of coronary artery disease in a major clinical study The landmark ASTEROID study has demonstrated that two years treatment withCRESTOR(TM) (rosuvastatin), 40mg once a day, reversed plaque build-up in thearteries of patients with evidence of coronary artery disease. This is thefirst time a statin has demonstrated regression of atherosclerosis in a majorclinical study. The results of ASTEROID will be presented by Dr Steve Nissen(Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic)at the 55th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology(ACC) in Atlanta at 2:20pm EST today. . Further details of the ASTEROID resultswill be made available following Dr Nissen's presentation at the ACC. Atherosclerosis results when a build-up of cholesterol, inflammatory cells andfibrous tissue forms areas in the artery wall called plaques. If these plaquesrupture they can block blood flow to critical organs like the heart or thebrain, and can lead to heart attack or stroke. ASTEROID (A Study To Evaluate the Effect of Rosuvastatin On IntravascularUltrasound-Derived Coronary Atheroma Burden) was a 104-week, open label,single-arm, blinded endpoint study designed to study the effect of CRESTOR 40mgin 507 patients who had undergone coronary angiography and who had evidence ofcoronary artery disease (CAD). The plaque volume in the target coronary arterywas measured at the initial catheterisation and again after two years oftreatment. ASTEROID used intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging to measure theeffect on the change in plaque volume compared to baseline in the target vessel. CRESTOR is indicated for the treatment of lipid disorders. CRESTOR is notindicated for atherosclerosis. The 40mg dose is the highest registered dose ofCRESTOR. CRESTOR should be used according to the prescribing information, whichcontains recommendations for initiating and titrating therapy according to theindividual patient profile. In most countries the usual recommended startingdose of CRESTOR is 5 or 10mg. With over 40 million prescriptions written, CRESTOR has been prescribed to morethan six million patients and has a safety profile in line with that of othermarketed statins. Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) is an invasive method of imaging arteries usinghigh frequency sound waves that are transmitted and received inside the vesselbeing examined. It enables measurement of the volume of atheroma within thewall of the arteries by combining a series of cross-sectional images of thevessel over a predefined length. IVUS is acknowledged as being among the mostrigorously quantitative methodologies for assessing atheroma burden. ASTEROID is part of AstraZeneca's GALAXY Programme, designed to addressimportant unanswered questions in statin research and to investigate the impactof CRESTOR on cardiovascular risk reduction and patient outcomes. The GALAXYProgram has recruited over 50,000 subjects in more than 50 countries. -Ends- 13 March 2006 Media Enquiries: Edel McCaffrey, Tel: +44 (0) 207 304 5034Steve Brown, Tel: +44 (0) 207 304 5033 Investor Relations: Mina Blair, Tel: +44 (0) 207 304 5084Jonathan Hunt, Tel: +44 (0) 207 304 5087Ed Seage, Tel: +1 302 886 4065Jorgen Winroth, Tel + 1 212 579 0506 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
Astrazeneca