AstraZeneca relief as US DoJ closes investigation into Brilinta

19th Aug 2014 08:37

A US Department of Justice investigation into clinical trials carried out by AstraZeneca has been closed with no further action to be taken.Astra underwent investigation into its 'Plato' trials of heart drug Brilinta in October 2013, with media speculation that this was due to inaccurate results but the company has not divulged the exact nature of investigation nor has the DoJ commented.Plato, a large study compromising 18,634 patients in 43 countries, was designed to confirm whether Brilinta together with aspirin could reduce cardiovascular events in patients who suffer from acute coronary syndrome.On the closing of the investigation, Astra chief executive Pascal Soriot said: "We have always had absolute confidence in the integrity of the PLATO trial and we are proud of the important benefit Brilinta offers to patients around the world suffering from acute coronary syndrome."AstraZeneca has estimated Brilinta is a potential $3.5bn-a-year drug, although sales have hitherto been clouded by the investigation. Shares in the company were up 0.75% to 4,233 at 08:23 on Tuesday. WS