Crestor Co-Marketing

AstraZeneca PLC
16 May 2002



ASTRAZENECA AND SHIONOGI TO CO - MARKET CRESTORTM - A NEW CHOLESTEROL LOWERING
TREATMENT - IN JAPAN



AstraZeneca and Shionogi & Co. Ltd. today announced an agreement to co-market
CRESTORTM, a new treatment for dyslipidaemia, in Japan.



AstraZeneca filed a New Drug Application with the Japanese Ministry of Health,
Labour and Welfare on April 23 (2002) for CRESTOR, a highly effective addition
to the statin class of lipid-lowering medicines, for treatment of
hypercholesterolaemia.



This agreement is an important part of AstraZeneca's global marketing strategy
for CRESTOR. Japan is the second biggest pharmaceuticals market in the world
with a highly competitive statin sector.  Shionogi is a powerful force there
with a high reputation for its R&D and sales and marketing capabilities.
Co-marketing will accelerate penetration of CRESTOR into the Japanese market.



HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors or statins lower cholesterol in the blood.
AstraZeneca has implemented CRESTOR clinical studies involving over 9,000
patients worldwide.  The results of the studies suggest that CRESTOR improves
overall lipid values to a significant extent and is generally well tolerated.



The efficacy of CRESTOR has been confirmed and data show:



  • Greater effect in lowering LDL-C ('bad' cholesterol)- a risk factor in
    coronary heart disease (CHD) - compared with the leading currently marketed
    statins.
  • Greater effect in raising HDL-C ('good' cholesterol) - low levels of HDL-C
    are an additional risk factor for the development of CHD - compared with the
    leading currently marketed statins.

  • Excellent lowering of triglyceride - also a risk factor for the
    development of CHD
  • An adverse event profile similar to other currently marketed statins.





CHD is the leading cause of death in Europe and the US.  As 36 million patients
in the US will need some kind of treatment for dyslipidaemia, improved lipid
control is necessary to reduce the number of patients with CHD.  In Japan, the
average cholesterol value has risen to that seen in Europe and US as the
Japanese diet has been westernised.  This tendency is shown especially in young
people under 20 years and in men in their thirties and forties.



The global statin market is estimated to be worth more than $14 billion and is
growing at a rate of more than 20 per cent.  Licensed from Shionogi in April
1998, CRESTOR has been developed globally by AstraZeneca.  CRESTOR was submitted
simultaneously for regulatory approval in the US and Europe in June 2001.





16 May 2002



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