Sanofi-aventis receives EU approval for heart disease treatment

Sanofi-aventis has been granted European regulatory approval for its new combination tablet treatment for coronary conditions.

The company and its partner Bristol-Myers Squibb have received European Commission backing for DuoPlavin/DuoCover, a dual antiplatelet treatment which combines clopidogrel and acetylsalicylic acid.

This treatment is specified for adult patients suffering from conditions such as unstable angina or non-Q-wave myocardial infarction and is designed to help to prevent against atherothrombotic events.

According to the two pharmaceutical companies, the product has been approved on the basis of “robust evidence” collated from large-scale clinical studies.

The firms added: “The new formulation of DuoPlavin/DuoCover carrying both antiplatelets in one single tablet contributes to reducing daily pill burden for patients.”

Earlier this month, Sanofi-aventis published new data from a phase III clinical trial of its prostate cancer treatment cabazitaxel, illustrating the drug’s efficacy benefits when compared to an alternative mitoxantrone therapy.