6th May 2008 12:18
AstraZeneca PLC06 May 2008 EPO Announces Symbicort(R) European COPD Use Patent Decision AstraZeneca today announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) TechnicalBoard of Appeal has made a final ruling that the European Combination patentcovering the use of Symbicort(R) (formoterol and budesonide) for the treatmentof chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (EPB1014993) has been revoked,following an appeal from generic manufacturers Norton Healthcare and GenericsUK. The EPB1014993 is one of two patents covering the Symbicort(R) combination(formoterol and budesonide) in the use of treatment for COPD in the UnitedKingdom, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy,Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Finland, Portugal, Liechtenstein,Luxemburg, Monaco, Cyprus, Latvia, Romania and Slovenia. The original patentexpiration for this patent was 2018. The second of the two patents (EPB1210943)is currently under separate opposition. "Symbicort is a strong brand and constitutes an important part of our growthpotential for the coming years in Europe, where we have data exclusivityprotection until August 2010," said David Brennan, Chief Executive Officer ofAstraZeneca. AstraZeneca will continue to defend and enforce its remaining intellectualproperty rights protecting Symbicort(R). This portfolio includes patents andapplications for processes, formulations, delivery devices (M3 Turbuhaler) anduse 'as needed' (Symbicort SMART(R)), with expiration dates up to 2019. Inaddition to these patents, Symbicort(R) retains data exclusivity until August2010 in some European markets. On October 18, 2007 the EPO Technical Board ofAppeal made a final ruling that the European Combination patent for Symbicort(EPB 0613371) was revoked. Worldwide sales of Symbicort(R) reached $1.58 billion in 2007, with Europeaccounting for $1.34 billion. SYMBICORT(R) is a trademark of the AstraZenecagroup of companies. 6 May 2008 Media Enquiries: Steve Brown +44 207 304 5033 (24 hours) Chris Sampson +44 20 7304 5130 (24 hours) Neil McCrae +44 207 304 5045 (24 hours) Investor Enquiries UK: Jonathan Hunt +44 207 304 5087 mob: +44 7775 704032 Mina Blair +44 20 7304 5084 mob: +44 7718 581021 Karl Hard +44 207 304 5322 mob: +44 7789 654364 Investor Enquiries US: Ed Seage +1 302 886 4065 mob: +1 302 373 1361 Jorgen Winroth +1 212 579 0506 mob: +1 917 612 4043 Peter Vozzo (MedImmune) +1 301 398 4358 mob: +1 301 252 7518 - Ends - This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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