New Delhi: AstraZeneca Pharma India on Thursday launched its patented antiplatelet drug Brilinta, used to prevent heart attack, after receiving approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).
Based on the New Drug Advisory Committee`s (NDAC) recommendations, the DCGI granted approval on May 2012 for marketing Brilinta (Ticagrelor) tablets in India, the company said in a statement.
Brilinta, an oral antiplatelet treatment for Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS) in adult patients, is competitively priced to enable patients benefit from having access to this medicine, it added.
The statement did not give the price of the drug.
Commenting on the development AstraZeneca Pharma Vice President Medical and Regulatory Affairs Paurus Irani 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."
The drug works by preventing the formation of new blood clots and maintains blood flow in the body to help reduce patient`s risk of another heart attack or cardiovascular- related death, the company said.
Till date Brilinta has been approved in 83 countries and launched in 63 countries, including India, the company said.
AstraZeneca scrip was trading at Rs 1,637 on the BSE in late afternoon trade, up 2.22 per cent from its previous close.
PTI
