Zeneca Launching New Calcium Channel Blocker.

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 4, 1996--Zeneca Inc. today announced it has acquired from Bayer AG the U.S. rights for new calcium channel blocker (CCB) SULAR@ (nisoldipine) Extended Release Tablets and is launching the product this month. Zeneca Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Zeneca Group PLC (NYSE: ZEN).

The move broadens Zeneca's cardiovascular product line, which includes angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor ZESTRIL@ (lisinopril) and ZESTORETIC@ (lisinopril and hydrochlorothiazide) Tablets, beta blocker TENORMIN@ (atenolol) and TENORETIC@ (atenolol and chlorthalidone) Tablets and nitrate SORBITRATE@ (isosorbide dinitrate) Tablets.

Sular is an oral once-daily medication indicated for the treatment of mild to moderate hypertension.

Zeneca and Bayer have now completed negotiations and signed an agreement, which provides Zeneca with full marketing control and ownership of the New Drug Application (NDA) for Sular. Discussions are under way between the two companies on similar agreements in other countries.

"We believe Sular will strengthen our overall position in the cardiovascular market and provide us with an opportunity to compete in its largest segment, CCBs, which currently represent $3.5 billion in US annual sales," said Robert C. Black, Zeneca Pharmaceuticals President.

In the U.S., Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, a business unit of Zeneca Inc., is a $2.5 billion bioscience company with 6,500 employees and 45 manufacturing and research and development sites.

Background Information

Sular (nisoldipine) Extended Release Tablets are a member of the dihydropyridine class of calcium channel antagonists.

The antihypertensive efficacy of Sular was studied in over 1,000 mild-to-moderate hypertensive patients and is supported by six placebo-controlled studies. Once-daily administration of Sular produced sustained reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressures over the 24 hour dosing interval in both supine and standing positions.

Sular is generally well-tolerated. In the U.S. clinical trials of Sular in hypertension, 10.9% of the 921 patients taking Sular discontinued treatment due to adverse events compared with 2.9% of the 280 placebo patients. The most frequently occurring adverse experiences with Sular are those related to its vasodilator properties and include peripheral edema and dizziness; these are generally mild and only occasionally lead to patient withdrawal from treatment.

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