AstraZeneca and Abbott to co-promote Crestor

AstraZeneca and Abbott have announced an extension to their partnership agreement, through which Abbott will promote AstraZeneca’s Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium).

Crestor is a medication used alongside diet to treat high cholesterol and is available in a five, ten, 20 and 40mg dose.

It is used to reduce total-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, ApoB, nonHDL-cholsterol and triglycerides, while increasing HDL-cholesterol in patients primary hyperlipidemia or mixed dyslipidemia.

This agreement expands the partnership signed by the firms in 2006 to develop a fixed dose combination of Crestor and Abbot’s investigational drug TriLipix (fenofibric acid).

Under the terms of the deal, Abbott will have the non-exclusive rights to promote Crestor in the US alongside AstraZeneca.

The financial details of the agreement have not been published.

Mike Tilton, vice-president of primary care at AstraZeneca, said: “This agreement will allow AstraZeneca to increase share of voice for Crestor among physicians whose patients may benefit from this therapy.”

He added the deal is a good one for both firms and will allow it to use the established presence of Abbott in dyslipidemia.

In June 2008, Abbott announced the results of a phase III sub-group analysis of TriLipix and Crestor, with the drugs showing improvements in key lipids.