Daiichi Sankyo and Forest Laboratories Finalize Contract for Co-Promotion o...( PARSIPPANY N.J. and NEW YORK Oct....),Health

PARSIPPANY, N.J. and NEW YORK, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. and Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: FRX) announced today that they have signed a contract for a co-promotion agreement in the United States for Daiichi Sankyo's AZOR(TM), a fixed combination of two antihypertensives, the calcium channel blocker, amlodipine and the angiotensin receptor blocker, olmesartan medoxomil. The companies announced a signed letter of intent for the co-promotion agreement on August 21, 2007.

Daiichi Sankyo received U.S. Food and Drug Administration marketing approval for AZOR on September 26, 2007. As previously announced, Forest will make an upfront payment of $20 million to Daiichi Sankyo, which will be made in the current quarter.

About AZOR(TM)

AZOR is indicated for the treatment of hypertension, alone or with other antihypertensive agents. AZOR is not indicated for initial therapy of hypertension. AZOR is a convenient, once daily, single tablet combination of amlodipine, the number one prescribed calcium channel blocker (CCB) on the market, and olmesartan medoxomil. The combination of these two medications will give doctors a powerful new treatment option for patients with hypertension who need to reduce their blood pressure levels or who are uncontrolled on other medications.

In clinical trials, AZOR produced significant mean reductions in seated systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with hypertension. According to the pivotal registrational trial, AZOR 10/40 mg reduced systolic blood pressure an average of 30.1 mm Hg and the diastolic reading an average of 19.0 mm Hg. These results were in comparison with mean reductions of 19.7 mm Hg systolic/12.7 mm Hg diastolic for amlodipine
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