GlaxoSmithKline reports new data for Coreg CR

GlaxoSmithKline has reported that its Coreg controlled release (Coreg CR) capsules provide “continuous” blood pressure reduction over 24 hours, according to a new study.

Coreg CR, a beta-blocker, was found to reduce blood pressure while being well-tolerated, with no major side-effects reported in comparison to the placebo. Glaxo says the FDA is currently reviewing its application for Coreg CR.

The study found that the use of Coreg CR in trial patients “significantly reduced” their blood pressure over 24-hour periods during a six-week period of use. Coreg is already in use as an immediate release version of the drug and it is taken twice a day, instead of the once-daily dose for Coreg CR.

Michael A Weber, professor of medicine at the SUNY Downstate Medical College of Medicine in Brooklyn, New York, said: “We believe that to be fully effective, an antihypertensive agent should provide 24-hour blood pressure reduction with a low incidence of side effects. These Coreg CR findings are encouraging.”

Glaxo described Coreg as a “key growth driver” in its results for the first quarter of 2006. Sales in Coreg during that quarter increased by 53 per cent, up to 224 million pounds. It is Glaxo’s biggest-selling cardiovascular drug.

On Wednesday, Britain’s biggest pharmaceutical company announced it was extending the contract of JP Garnier, its chief executive.

He said: “I believe that the next two years will see further confirmation of Glaxo’s strong and innovative pipeline, with many significant filings and launches of new medicines and vaccines.”

In April he told the Observer of the love he has for his job and added: “I wouldn’t be satisfied in an industry that was about selling cars or cans of drink. Healthcare is intellectually satisfying and important to the wellbeing of so many people. You are changing the world.”

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