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LONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca's blood-thinning drug Brilinta has won preferred status in theUnited States, where two medical groups have recommended it overthe older drug Plavix, also known as clopidogrel.
The endorsement comes in an updated guideline from theAmerican Heart Association and American College of Cardiology onthe management of so-called non-ST-elevation acute coronarysyndromes, or acute chest pain without certain electrocardiogramchanges.
AstraZeneca said on Monday it was the first time thecardiology organisations had recommended one drug of this typeover another in the treatment of acute coronary syndromes.
Brilinta has struggled so far to gain traction in acompetitive market, where Plavix -- developed by Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb -- is now availableas a cheap generic.
However, prospects for the drug brightened in August whenthe U.S. Department of Justice dropped an investigation into theoriginal clinical trial used to win marketing approval, liftinga shadow hanging over the product.
AstraZeneca flagged up the promise of Brilinta in itsdefence against an abortive $118 billion takeover bid by Pfizer earlier this year, forecasting annual sales of $3.5billion for the drug by 2023.
That number assumes it works in a variety of other settingsbeyond its current indication for acute coronary syndromes, anda series of large trials are now under way to prove the case. AstraZeneca hopes to report headline results from one of thesetrials, known as PEGASUS, in December.
Commenting on the new U.S. guideline, Brilinta global vicepresident Tom Keith Roach said: "This is just another example ofthe growing momentum behind the brand, particularly in the U.S.,but there is still much to do as we anticipate PEGASUS top lineresults at the end of the year." (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Mark Potter)
