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HEALTH CANADA APPROVES SYMBICORT^® TURBUHALER^® FOR CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE – INCREASING PATIENTS’ QUALITY OF LIFE AND REDUCING EXACERBATIONS

~ Clinical studies also demonstrate that SYMBICORT TURBUHALER with tiotropium, provides rapid relief and significant improvements over challenging morning symptoms ~

Mississauga, ON [January 25, 2010] – AstraZeneca Canada Inc. announced today that Health Canada has approved SYMBICORT TURBUHALER (budesonide/formoterol) for the maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) including chronic bronchitis and emphysema for as many as 750,000 Canadians who have the condition.^[i] COPD is a chronic lung disease that progressively damages the airways that go in and out of the lungs.^[ii] With an established history in respiratory disease, SYMBICORT TURBUHALER is also approved by Health Canada for the regular treatment of asthma.^[iii]

The use of SYMBICORT TURBUHALER in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe COPD is supported by two 12-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicentre clinical studies comparing efficacy and safety of SYMBICORT with placebo, budesonide, and formoterol.³ SYMBICORT TURBUHALER was shown to be effective in reducing exacerbations and providing early and sustained improvements in lung function and symptoms, together with improvements in health-related quality of life.^[iv]

In addition, data from the recent CLIMB study found that patients taking SYMICORT TURBUHALER when used in combination with tiotropium, benefited significantly with rapid improved lung function and a greater ability to carry out morning activities compared to those treated with tiotropium alone.^[v] The reported benefits were evident after one week of treatment, and continued to improve over the treatment period.⁵

“The Health Canada approval is exciting news for Canadians living with COPD, especially as SYMBICORT TURBUHALER has been seen to provide patients with an increased quality of life and a reduction in exacerbations,” says Dr. Meyer Balter, Director, Asthma and COPD Education Clinic, Mount Sinai Hospital. “In addition, clinical trials have shown it to have a fast onset of action and ease the morning symptoms of COPD, giving patients a better start to their day, enabling them to live a more active life.”

For patients with COPD, the morning is typically a time when symptoms are most aggravated.^[vi] The most common morning activities that have been reported as being significantly affected by severe COPD symptoms include walking up/down stairs, putting on shoes/socks, and making the bed, followed by dressing, and showering/bathing.⁶

About COPD in Canada
As many as 750,000 Canadians suffer from COPD,¹ though 1.6 million Canadians report experiencing COPD symptoms without a diagnosis.² Common symptoms of COPD include shortness of breath, wheezing, frequent and long-lasting lung infections (the flu, pneumonia, etc.), feeling tired² and coughing with phlegm.^[vii] The leading cause of COPD is smoking cigarettes, which occurs in 80 to 90 per cent of cases.²

About SYMBICORT TURBUHALER
SYMBICORT TURBUHALER is indicated for the maintenance treatment of moderate to severe COPD including chronic bronchitis and emphysema.³ For patients with moderate to severe COPD, the approved dosage of SYMBICORT TURBUHALER is 200/6 mcg two inhalations twice daily.³ SYMBICORT TURBUHALER is also indicated for the regular treatment of asthma in patients 12 years of age and older.³ SYMBICORT TURBUHALER is a combination of two proven respiratory medications – budesonide, an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) to treat inflammation, and formoterol, a rapid and long-acting beta₂-agonist (LABA) to address bronchoconstriction. SYMBICORT TURBUHALER does not replace fast-acting inhalers and should not be initiated to treat acute symptoms of COPD or asthma.³ SYMBICORT TURBUHALER is approved for use in the treatment of COPD in 96 countries worldwide.

About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a leading global pharmaceutical company with an extensive product portfolio spanning six major therapeutic areas: gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, infection, neuroscience, oncology, and respiratory. AstraZeneca's Canadian headquarters are located in Mississauga, Ontario, with a state-of-the-art drug discovery centre based in Montreal, Quebec. For more information, visit the company's website at www.astrazeneca.ca.

For more information please contact:

Marsha Knoll
Edelman
416-979-1120, ext. 329
Marsha.knoll@edelman.com