ASTRAZENECA RECEIVES COMPLETE RESPONSE LETTER FROM US FDA FOR BRILINTA (TICAGRELOR TABLETS)


ASTRAZENECA RECEIVES COMPLETE RESPONSE LETTER FROM US FDA FOR BRILINTA
(TICAGRELOR TABLETS)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 17 December 2010

AstraZeneca announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) has issued a complete response letter (CRL) for the New Drug
Application (NDA) for ticagrelor (BRILINTA).

In the CRL, the FDA requested additional analyses of the PLATO data. The
agency did not request that additional studies, including clinical
studies, be conducted as a prerequisite for approval of the ticagrelor
NDA.

AstraZeneca is evaluating the contents of the CRL and will respond to
the agency's request for additional analyses of the PLATO data as soon
as possible. The company remains confident in the NDA submission for
ticagrelor and in its ability to respond to the agency's questions.

“Our highest priority is to provide the requested PLATO analyses to the
FDA and progress to completion of the BRILINTA NDA review,” said Martin
Mackay, President, Research & Development, AstraZeneca.

-ENDS- 

NOTES TO EDITORS

About BRILINTA (ticagrelor tablets)
BRILINTA is an oral antiplatelet treatment for acute coronary syndromes
(ACS). BRILINTA is a direct-acting P2Y12 receptor antagonist in a
chemical class called cyclopentyltriazolopyrimidines (CPTPs). BRILINTA
is the first reversibly-binding oral ADP receptor antagonist.

BRILINTA is currently under regulatory review in eighteen territories
around the world and was granted marketing authorization under the trade
name BRILIQUE™ by the European Commission (EC) on December 6, 2010.

BRILINTA and BRILIQUE are trademarks of the AstraZeneca group of
companies.

About the PLATO study
PLATO was a large (18,624 patients in 43 countries) head-to-head patient
outcomes study of ticagrelor versus clopidogrel, designed to establish
whether ticagrelor could achieve clinically meaningful cardiovascular
and safety end points in ACS patients, above and beyond those afforded
by clopidogrel. The NDA submission for ticagrelor is based on the
results of a comprehensive clinical trial programme, including data from
the PLATO study.

About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business
with a primary focus on the discovery, development and commercialization
of prescription medicines. As a leader in gastrointestinal,
cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation, oncology and
infectious disease medicines, AstraZeneca generated global revenues of
US $32.8 billion in 2009. For more information please visit:
www.astrazeneca.com (http://www.astrazeneca.com/).

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