AstraZeneca drug beats Plavix in test, shares leap

AstraZeneca Plc's experimental heart drug Brilinta has beaten Sanofi-Aventis SA and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co's blockbuster Plavix in a pivotal clinical trial, lifting its shares sharply.

Topline results from the head-to-head study of the two drugs -- one of the largest comparative trials ever undertaken before approval -- underpin hopes for a pipeline product that analysts see as a potential multibillion-dollar-a-year seller.

The new medicine is a chance for AstraZeneca to prove its ability to get major new drugs to market at a time when older ones face patent expiry, following a drought of new product launches in recent years.

If approved, it will compete for business against one of the world's most successful medicines, since Plavix rakes in annual sales of some $8 billion.

AstraZeneca said on Monday the trial showed Brilinta worked better than Plavix in protecting high-risk patients from heart attacks and strokes, and it remained on schedule to submit the drug for regulatory approval in the fourth quarter.

Its shares jumped 6.3 percent by 1115 GMT in a flat market for European drug stocks .SXDP.

Panmure Gordon analyst Savvas Neophytou said the clinical success should provide enough differentiation to make Brilinta a commercial hit. He currently predicts sales of $1.66 billion by 2014 but said this figure could rise once detailed results of the study are released.

Full results of the so-called Plato study -- a Phase III trial involving 18,624 patients with acute coronary syndrome given either Brilinta or Plavix -- will be presented at the European Society of Cardiology annual meeting in August.

Source : www.reuters.com