AstraZeneca's 'Zomig' now top triptan in Europe

'Zomig' offers Europe's migraine patients best formulations to beat migraine ALDERLEY PARK, UK, TUESDAY 2 MARCH 2004 - AstraZeneca announced today that 'Zomig' (zolmitriptan) is now the most prescribed triptan (5HT1B/1D receptor agonist) in the top five European markets, taking over pole position from sumatriptan. This number one spot for 'Zomig' formulations has been achieved by offering Europe's migraine sufferers and physicians the best migraine-specific treatment. The 'Zomig' formulations - 'Zomig' Nasal Spray, 'Zomig Rapimelt' and 'Zomig' oral tablets - offer fast acting and reliably effective migraine treatments to suit most patient needs and preferences. According to IMS Health MIDAS data, the total monthly prescriptions for 'Zomig' in the top five European markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK cumulatively) consistently surpass those for sumatriptan. Triptans are one of the most advanced forms of migraine treatment and 'Zomig' is now the leading triptan in Europe. Since the first European introduction of 'Zomig' in 1997, nearly 10 million prescriptions have been written. "We are delighted that 'Zomig' has secured market leader position in the five major European markets, cumulatively", comments Geoff Birkett, Vice President, AstraZeneca Neuroscience. "Migraine is a complex and extremely disabling condition which can make life a misery for almost one in 5 women and one in 20 men. It is very important that patients have access to treatments which suit their needs, and 'Zomig' offers the best range of formulations for rapidly effective, reliable and convenient treatment of migraine." "First and foremost, migraine patients want rapid, highly effective, reliable pain relief", says Dr Andrew Dowson, Director of the King's Headache Service, King's College London, UK. "The 'Zomig' family of formulations answers all these needs." 'Zomig' has achieved its number one position through the introduction of innovative and patient friendly formulations to complement oral tablets: 'Zomig Rapimelt' and 'Zomig' Nasal Spray. In Europe 'Zomig Rapimelt' has been available since August 1999. It provides effective, reliable and convenient relief from migraine in pleasant orange tasting tablets. 'Zomig' Rapimelt can be taken quickly without water as soon as a migraine strikes, for effective relief within 30 minutes.1 'Zomig' Nasal Spray was first launched in Sweden in January 2002. It is highly effective and is the fastest-acting patient friendly (non-injection) triptan therapy for acute migraine. Pharmacokinetic studies show that zolmitriptan is detectable in the plasma in two minutes post dose,2 in the brain in five minutes,3 and significant headache relief is seen after 10 minutes.4 The non-oral route of administration and rapid, direct absorption from within the nasal cavity are advantageous for patients requiring rapid relief and those with nausea, vomiting or a fear of needles. In addition, 'Zomig' Nasal Spray has a good tolerability profile5 and is supplied in an easy-to-use, convenient device. 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 $18.8 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. In Neuroscience, AstraZeneca is dedicated to providing medicines that have the potential to change patients' lives. The company already markets several products including SEROQUEL®, the fastest growing major atypical agent, and ZOMIG. The Neuroscience pipeline includes leading approaches for the treatment of depression and anxiety, overactive bladder, dementia, stroke, and pain control. 'Zomig', 'Zomig' Nasal Spray and 'Zomig Rapimelt' are trademarks of the AstraZeneca Group of companies. For further information, please contact: Moira Gitsham or Matthew Kent, CPR Worldwide: +44 (0)20 7395 7100 References: 1. Purdy A, MacGregor A, Dowson A. Zolmitriptan 2.5mg Orally Disintegrating Tablet for Acute Treatment of Migraine: Part I - Efficacy and Tolerability. Study presented at the American Academy of Neurology 2001 Annual Meeting in Philapelphia. May 5 - 11, 2001. 2. Uemura N, Charlesworth B, Onishi T, Mitaniyama A, Kaneko T, Ninomiya K et al. Zolmitriptan is detectable in plasma as early as 2 to 5 minutes after administration by nasal spray. Headache 2003; 43(5):584, Abs. 3. Wall A., Kagedal M, Nilsson D., Yates R, Langstrom B., Bergstrom M. An open label positron emission tomography study to investigate the distribution of intranasally administered 11-C zolmitriptan into the CNS. European Journal of Neurology 2003; 10(supplement 1):36. (Abstract) 4. Gawel M, Aschoff J, Lee J, Charlesworth BR. Zolmitriptan nasal spray is highly efficacious, very fast acting and produces sustained relief in the treatment of acute migraine in a real life setting: Results from phase I of the REALIZE study. Annals of Neurology 2003; 54(Suppl 7):S32. 5. Dowson AJ, Boes-Hansen S, Farkkila AM. Zolmitriptan nasal spray is fast-acting and highly effective in the acute treatment of migraine. J Neurol 2000;7(suppl 3):82 * Any analysis of IMS data is independently arrived at by AstraZeneca on the basis of the data and other information. IMS Health is not responsible for any reliance by recipients of the data or any analysis thereof