Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo obtain FDA approval for Effient

Lilly and Daiichi Sankyo have obtained approval for Effient (prasugrel) tablets from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the former has announced.

The therapy has been given the go-ahead by the body for the reduction of thrombotic cardiovascular events in patients that have acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and are managed with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

PCI is an artery-opening procedure that often involves the placement of a stent.

Effient works by preventing blood platelets from sticking together to form clots and the therapy has been found to reduce the chance of ACS patients suffering a cardiac event or developing stent-related blood clots when taken with aspirin after PCI.

John Lechleiter, chairman and chief executive officer of Lilly, said that the FDA approval is a “major step forward” in ACS treatment.

“The Daiichi Sankyo/Lilly alliance has provided doctors with an important new option that provides greater protection against thrombotic cardiovascular events,” he added.

In recent days, Lilly announced that its new drug application for its exenatide therapy has been accepted for review by the FDA.