European Commission Approves EFIENT(R) (prasugrel) for Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome Unde...( TOKYO and INDIANAPOLIS Feb. 23 /- Hea...)

TOKYO and INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Heart patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing an artery-opening procedure will soon have a new treatment option to help prevent heart attacks. Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (TSE: 4568) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced today that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization for EFIENT(R) (pronounced Ef-ee-ent) (prasugrel) for the prevention of atherothrombotic events in patients with ACS undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

The approval follows a positive opinion adopted by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency on December 18, 2008.

"This European approval is good news for doctors and patients since more than 700,000 people die from heart attacks in the European Union each year," said Takashi Shoda, president and chief executive officer of Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. "We believe Efient will become an important new treatment for patients with ACS undergoing PCI, a severe disease with potentially life-threatening consequences."

Prasugrel works by reducing the tendency of platelets, the blood particles responsible for clotting, from sticking or clumping together. By blocking a specific receptor (P2Y12 adenosine diphosphate) on the platelet surface, prasugrel prevents platelets from clumping, which can result in clogged arteries and may lead to heart attack.

"The approval of Efient helps to meet an important medical need. Survivors of heart attacks have a substantial risk of suffering from one or more additional heart attacks," said John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D., chairman, president and chief executive officer of Lilly. "This action is a major step forward in giving healthcare professionals and patients in European countri
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