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AstraZeneca given FDA approval for COPD treatment

02 Mar 2009

AstraZeneca''s Symbicort treatment has been approved for use in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it has announced.

The green light, from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is based on the results of two clinical trials, which showed the medication improved lung functioning within five minutes of the first dose being received.

COPD encompasses two serious lung conditions - chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

They lead to chronic airway inflammation, as well as progressive lung function loss, which make it hard to breathe normally.

Dr Howard Hutchinson, chief medial officer at AstraZeneca, said: "Patients have a new treatment option that can deliver long-term lung function improvement and daily symptom control, together with a rapid onset of action."

In recent days, the company announced that Hakan Mogren, the firm''s non-executive deputy chairman, will retire from his position on the board at the end of its annual general meeting on Thursday April 30th.