Genzyme Launches Cholestagel(R)...( New Therapy Helps Lower Cholester...)

New Therapy Helps Lower Cholesterol in Primary Hypercholesterolemia

Patients

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Genzyme Corp. (Nasdaq: GENZ) today announced the launch of Cholestagel(R) (colesevelam hydrochloride), Genzyme's first commercially available cardiovascular product, in Europe. Cholestagel is a new, non-absorbed, cholesterol-lowering agent aimed at treating patients with primary hypercholesterolemia who cannot meet their targeted cholesterol levels with standard therapies alone.

"Cholestagel offers patients at high risk of life-threatening cardiovascular disease a new way to manage their cholesterol," said Genzyme Senior Vice President James A. Geraghty, who oversees the company's cardiovascular activities. "Most of these high-risk patients are seen at specialized treatment centers, and the launch of Cholestagel in Europe is consistent with our efforts to provide treatments for patients with serious unmet medical needs. We intend to do so with a small and highly-focused field organization that leverages Genzyme's existing country organizations."

Developed by Genzyme, Cholestagel is a polymer in tablet form that lowers LDL (or "bad") cholesterol. It can be taken in combination with other cholesterol-lowering medications, such as statins, or alone. When combined with various statins, fibrates or ezetimibe, current standard treatments for cholesterol control, Cholestagel was shown to have an additive LDL-cholesterol lowering effect in the range of 10 to 16 percent. A post-approval study launched in August 2007 by Genzyme aims to specifically demonstrate the efficacy of Cholestagel as an add-on therapy in patients with familial hypercholeste
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