FDA Approves New Indication for Hospira's Precedex (Dexmedetomidine HCL)...( - Expands Therapy to Bro...),Health

- Expands Therapy to Broader Patient Population -

LAKE FOREST, Ill., Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hospira, Inc. (NYSE: HSP), a global specialty pharmaceutical and medication delivery company, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new indication for Precedex(R), the company's innovative drug for in-hospital sedation. This approval allows for use of Precedex in non-intubated patients requiring sedation prior to and/or during surgical and other procedures. The additional indication complements Precedex's initial approval for the sedation of intubated and mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care setting for up to 24 hours.

"This expanded indication makes Precedex a more versatile product," said Keith Candiotti, M.D., vice chairman of Clinical Research for the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Miami School of Medicine. "Anesthesiologists now have the data to safely administer Precedex in an operating room setting for a number of outpatient procedures that are growing in volume such as orthopedic, vascular and ophthalmic procedures."

The FDA approval is based on the results of two randomized, prospective, double-blind, multicenter clinical studies -- the MAC and AWAKE trials -- which, collectively, looked at 431 patients. The MAC study examined patients that underwent a variety of surgical or diagnostic procedures including orthopedic, vascular, ophthalmic, excision of lesions, breast biopsies and plastic surgery. The AWAKE trial included patients requiring an awake fiberoptic intubation, a specialized anesthesiology technique to facilitate insertion of an endotracheal tube through the nose or mouth for general anesthesia in patients with known
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