Home  Media Press releases 2003
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| 9 December 2003 | 2003-12-09T00:00:00.0000000-00:00 |
| ASTRAZENECA SUBMITS REGULATORY APPLICATION FOR SYMBICORT® TURBUHALER® FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA WITH ONE SINGLE INHALER (SYMBICORT® SINGLE INHALER THERAPY)
AstraZeneca announced today the submission of an EU regulatory application for the new asthma treatment concept Symbicort® Single inhaler Therapy (SiT). Symbicort® SiT is the management of persistent asthma with a single inhaler, Symbicort® Turbuhaler®. This new treatment concept is a further development of Symbicort® adjustable maintenance dosing, which has already shown overall better asthma control than treatment with a higher average fixed maintenance dose. Symbicort® Single inhaler Therapy, once approved, will make asthma treatment more effective and simpler for both the physician and the patient. | “Asthma is a variable disease, where patients experience periods of good control, but also periods of worsenings, which can develop into acute events. The Symbicort® Single inhaler Therapy treatment concept will provide one single inhaler for all situations; for baseline therapy, for increasing the dose during worsenings as well as for acute situations. A separate reliever or rescue bronchodilator will no longer be needed,” said Dr Anders Ekblom, Vice President & Head of the Respiratory & Inflammation Therapy Area, AstraZeneca. “This new treatment concept is focused on the individual needs of each person with asthma treated with Symbicort® and is very easy and intuitive to follow.”
Symbicort® is the only combination treatment that allows patients to adjust their dose with the same single inhaler. The prescriber currently has the discretion to advise the patient on which type of Symbicort® therapy would be suitable for the individual and how to adjust the dose of Symbicort® within the approved dosing range. This adjustable treatment concept is expanded with Symbicort® Single inhaler Therapy. With Symbicort® SiT, patients take a regular daily dose of Symbicort®, can take additional inhalations when needed to improve control and can now also use the same inhaler to provide acute relief instead of using the traditional fast-acting bronchodilator. Thus patients do not require a separate rescue bronchodilator with Symbicort® Single inhaler Therapy.
The current worldwide market for fixed combination asthma products is estimated to be worth $3.5 billion. To date, Symbicort® is launched in 62 markets and approved in more than 80 countries.
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world with healthcare sales of over $17.8 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, oncology, cardiovascular, neuroscience and respiratory products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global and European) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.
Media Enquiries:
Steve Brown, +44 (0) 207 304 5033
Edel McCaffrey, +44 (0) 207 304 5034
Investor Enquiries:
Mina Blair-Robinson, +44 (0) 207 304 5084
Jonathan Hunt, +44 (0) 207 304 5087
Notes to editors
· European Union countries include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
· Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the airways characterised by reversible airway obstruction. It is a variable condition that can change both daily and seasonally.
· Most asthma patients require maintenance treatment with an inhaled corticosteroid, which suppresses the underlying airway inflammation, and a bronchodilator, which relaxes the smooth muscle of the airways.
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