AstraZeneca launches its patented life-saving heart drug BRILINTA® (Ticagrelor) in India

AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited (AZPIL) today announced the launch of a new patented antiplatelet drug BRILINTA® (Ticagrelor) in India. BRILINTA® is an oral antiplatelet treatment for Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS) in adult patients. BRILINTA® is competitively priced to enable ACS patients benefit from having access to this medicine.

BRILINTA® works by preventing the formation of new blood clots and maintaining blood flow in the body to help reduce patient’s risk of another cardiovascular event (called atherothrombotic events) such as a heart attack or cardiovascular death.

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), based on the New Drug Advisory Committee’s (NDAC) recommendations granted its approval in May 2012 for marketing BRILINTA® (Ticagrelor) tablets in India.

The DCGI approval is based upon the submission of data from the landmark PLATO (Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes) trial, comparing treatment with BRILINTA® to Clopidogrel – the current standard of care, available in the market for over a decade.

Dr. Paurus Irani, Vice President Medical & Regulatory Affairs of AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited said, “With over 40 lakh people affected by ACS in India each year, BRILINTA®gives cardiologists a new and effective treatment to help reduce the rate of heart attack and cardiovascular deaths in these patients. Such exciting medical breakthroughs don’t happen very often.”