Allegra: profile and news

Lilly's Low Generic Exposure Makes It Solid Long-Term Pick  06 Mar 2006
...nyse: PFE - news - people ), Vytorin from Schering-Plough (nyse: SGP - news - people ) and Merck (nyse: MRK - news - people ), and Crestor from AstraZeneca ... - Forbes

Hispanics Benefit from Cholesterol-Lowering Statins  Mar 2, 2006
THURSDAY, March 2 (HealthDay News) -- Two kinds of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs -- Crestor and Lipitor -- may reduce important heart disease risk factors ... - Forbes

PGA TOUR: Woods wins for charity at Ford Championship at Doral  Mar 5, 2006
The AstraZeneca Charity Challenge, formerly known as the CRESTOR® Charity Challenge, is a season-long competition that recognizes and rewards the tournament ... - noticias.info,

How can I prevent my children from becoming travel sick?  Mar 2, 2006
I was wrong in a previous column to include Crestor (rosuvastatin) among the statins that shouldn’t be taken with grapefruit juice, or at any time during the ... - Times Online,

Kos Reports Summary Results of Key Phase IV Research and ...  Feb 23, 2006
COMPELL Study shows significantly greater reductions in triglycerides and Lp(a), as well as superior 2.5-3.5 fold increases in HDL-C versus Crestor(R) and ... - Genetic Engineering News,

PDI says AstraZeneca ends pact; shares tumble  Feb 28, 2006
PDI has been promoting AstraZeneca's cholesterol fighter Crestor and other heart drugs as well as respiratory and migraine treatments. ... - Reuters

Kos Reports Summary Results of Key Phase IV Research and ...  Feb 23, 2006
...label studyin 292 patients comparing the efficacy of combination therapy withNiaspan and low to moderate doses of Lipitor(R) and Crestor(R) againstmoderate to ... - Finanzen.net,

Bextra - What Did Pfizer Know? - Everything  Mar 5, 2006
...belong there.�. When asked which drugs he was referring to, Dr Graham identified Accutane, Bextra, Crestor, Meridia and Serevent. He ... - Scoop.co.nz (press release),

Kos Reports Summary Results of Key Phase IV Research and ...  Feb 23, 2006
...open-label study in 292 patients comparing the efficacy of combination therapy with Niaspan and low to moderate doses of Lipitor(R) and Crestor(R) against ... - PharmaLive.com (press release),

Kos improves existing cholesterol drug  Feb 24, 2006
...patients to compared the efficacy of combination therapy with Niaspan and low to moderate doses of Pfizer's Lipitor and AstraZeneca's Crestor, against moderate ... - Pharmaceutical Business Review

AstraZeneca Withdraws Exanta Because of Liver Damage (Update5)  Feb 14, 2006
The company's shares dropped 30 percent in 2004 as it struggled to introduce Iressa for cancer and the Crestor cholesterol medicine. ... - Bloomberg

The Advertising Battle To Lower Cholesterol  Feb 1, 2006
...campaigns for the two leading cholesterol-reducing drugs, category leader Lipitor manufactured and marketed by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and Crestor by AstraZeneca ... - PharmaLive.com (press release),

People's Pharmacy: Iron supplement may combat pica  Feb 18, 2006
Q: My wife and I both have cholesterol issues. I take Lipitor, and she's on Crestor. During ... grapefruit. Crestor is not affected. ... - Bryan College Station Eagle,

Toprol XL uncertainty weighs heavy on AstraZeneca  Feb 3, 2006
...hike in turnover for gastrointestinal drug Nexium (esomeprazole), Seroquel (quetiapine) for schizophrenia, lipid-lowerer Crestor (rosuvastatin), Arimidex ... - Pharma Times (subscription),

Real estate leads Tokyo shares higher  Feb 6, 2006
But Shionogi, the drugmaker, fell 6.7 per cent to Y1,661 after cutting its 2005/06 target for royalties from Crestor, a hyperlipidemia treatment. ... - Financial Times,

Shionogi Rises 1.6%; Nikko Cuts Target Price  Feb 8, 2006
But Nikko not so pessimistic about firm's downward sales outlook revision for main drug Crestor for lowering blood cholesterol, which has prompted some other ... - New Ratings

AstraZeneca annual results in line, sees double-digit growth in ...  Feb 2, 2006
The company's five key products -- Nexium, Seroquel, Crestor, Arimidexand Symbicort -- reported a combined 27 pct rise in sales. ... - Forbes

AstraZeneca sees healthy 34-pct jump in profits  Feb 2, 2006
The company's five key products -- Nexium, Seroquel, Crestor, Arimidex and Symbicort -- reported a combined 27-percent rise in sales. ... - TODAYonline,

Medicare Mailbag: Low-income assistance may offset drug hikes  Feb 22, 2006
For example, Humana charges less for other cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as the generic lovastatin or brand names Lipitor or Crestor. ... - Palm Beach Post,

Statins To Reduce Cholesterol Levels  Feb 24, 2006
...the US: Lipitor® (atorvastatin), Lescol® (fluvastatin), Mevacor® (lovastatin), Pravachol® (pravastatin), Zocor® (simvastatin) and Crestor® (rosuvastatin ... - WSOCtv.com,

Magic Media Networks' Subsidiary, Destination Television, Executes ...  Feb 21, 2006
Magic Media's Hotel TV(TM) division, recently aired a 60-second national commercial spot for the new AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN) cholesterol drug CRESTOR. ... - Business Wire (press release),

AstraZeneca boosted by key drug sales  Feb 2, 2006
Sales of schizophrenia treatment Seroquel, rose 35 per cent during the year, while sales of other blockbusters Nexium and Crestor rose 18 per cent and 38 per ... - MSN Money

AstraZeneca: Of Patents and Pipelines  Feb 2, 2006
Revenue growth was fueled by a range of drugs, including 13% growth for Nexium (the company's largest), 19% for Toprol-XL,12% for Crestor, and 34% for Seroquel ... - Motley Fool

AstraZeneca to concentrate on pipeline  Feb 2, 2006
...said its portfolio now has 10 products with annual sales of $1bn or more with a strong performance from key products Nexium, Seroquel, Crestor, Arimidex and ... - Life Style Extra,

AstraZeneca Fourth-Quarter Profit Grows  Feb 2, 2006
It also faces a hit to cholesterol drug Crestor — sales of which rose 38 percent to $1.27 billion in 2005 — in the second half of the current year after ... - Leading The Charge,

Statins may not affect CD4 cell count responses to HIV treatment ...  Feb 1, 2006
...lower cholesterol levels. They prescribed pravastatin (Lipostat), atorvastatin (Lipitor) or rosuvastatin (Crestor). In contrast, they ... - Aidsmap,

Asian Stocks Drop; Japan's Nikkei Falls on Morgan Stanley Call  Feb 6, 2006
...cut their recommendations on Shionogi & Co., the creator of the cholesterol reducer Crestor. Shionogi slumped 6.7 percent to 1,661 yen. ... - Bloomberg

Pfizer Mulls Cholesterol Drug  Feb 13, 2006
There are five additional statins on the market other than Lipitor: Zocor and Mevacor, both made by Merck; AstraZeneca’s Crestor; Pravachol by Bristol-Myers ... - Red Herring,

Asian Mining Stocks Gain on Metals Prices, Led by BHP, Jiangxi  Feb 6, 2006
Sachs Group Inc. cut their recommendations on Shionogi & Co., the Japanese creator of the cholesterol reducer Crestor. The Morgan ... - Bloomberg

Asia: Prices scaring off investors  Feb 7, 2006
5 percent. Goldman Sachs, among others, cut its recommendations on Shionogi, maker of the cholesterol drug Crestor. Also falling ... - International Herald Tribune,

Asian Mining Stocks Gain on Copper Prices, Led by BHP, Jiangxi  Feb 6, 2006
Sachs Group Inc. cut their recommendation on Shionogi & Co., the Japanese creator of the cholesterol reducer Crestor. The MSCI Asia ... - Bloomberg

New medicines are Brennan's priority  Feb 2, 2006
...priority.". Cholesterol-busting drug Crestor and breast cancer treatment Arimidex enjoyed the strongest rises in sales last year. - Manchester Evening News,

AstraZeneca withdraws blood clotting drug  Feb 14, 2006
AstraZeneca's key products include the stomach ulcer drug Nexium, the cholesterol buster Crestor and breast cancer treatment Arimidex. - The Local,

Drug firm stock falls despite big profit gain  Feb 3, 2006
AstraZeneca said sales rose 27 percent for five key products - Nexium for heartburn, the antipsychotic Seroquel, Crestor for high cholesterol, Arimidex for ... - Philadelphia Inquirer,

Marketing medicine  Feb 6, 2006
He said his company has established internal guidelines to make certain its ads are informative and "serious" in tone for its drugs, Crestor [a cholesterol ... - Toledo Blade,

Statins save stroke patients' lives, report says  Feb 16, 2006
Bristol-Myers Squibb's (down $0.12 to $22.98, Research) Pravachol, with $2.3 billion, and AstraZeneca's (up $0.04 to $45.58, Research) Crestor, with $1.3 ... - CNN/Money

2005 banner year for AstraZeneca  Feb 3, 2006
Four other key products -- Seroquel; Crestor, a drug to lower cholesterol; breast cancer treatment Arimidex; and respiratory drug Symbicort -- each posted ... - The News Journal,

Low-Carb 'Dear Abby' Answers Your Questions  Feb 17, 2006
THEM!!! I took Lipitor for a while and Crestor because my doctor convinced me I HAD to take them to get my cholesterol under control. ... - The Common Voice,

High marks for below-average cholesterol  Feb 14, 2006
The advent of the powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins (Crestor, Lipitor, Zocor, and the like) has made it possible for virtually anyone to ... - ITP.net,

AstraZeneca abandons blood thinner, citing risk  Feb 15, 2006
The problems with Exanta, along with questions about its drug Iressa for cancer and Crestor for high cholesterol, had helped flatten AstraZeneca's stock in 2004 ... - philly.com,

Research and Markets: Pfizer's Atorvastatin + Torcetrapib ...  Feb 17, 2006
...simvastatin + ezetimibe). While AstraZeneca's Crestor is set to significantly increase in sales due to new safety data. The expiration ... - Genetic Engineering News,

Divided over pill splitting  Feb 5, 2006
1, allows for savings from splitting of four cholesterol-lowering statins — Crestor, Lipitor, Pravachol and Zocor — and anti-depressants Lexapro, Zoloft ... - The Coloradoan,

Snacks claim health benefits of chocolate  Feb 14, 2006
...lower cholesterol. But that doesn't mean your box of Valentine's Day morsels equates to a low-tech dose of Crestor. Experts say ... - The News Journal,

Lopez, Hodes, Restiano, Milman & Skikos Assessing Trasylol Claims ...  Feb 8, 2006
The firm has played a lead role in other defective drug litigation involving PPA, Fen-Phen, Zyprexa, Ephedra, Vioxx, Crestor, Ortho Evra, and Zicam. - PR Web (press release),

AstraZeneca 4Q earnings jump 32 percent  Feb 2, 2006
It also faces a hit to cholesterol drug Crestor -- sales of which rose 38 percent to US$1.27 billion (euro1.06 billion) in 2005 -- in the second half of the ... - BusinessWeek

AstraZeneca Fourth-Quarter Profit Grows  Feb 2, 2006
It also faces a hit to cholesterol drug Crestor _ sales of which rose 38 percent to $1.27 billion in 2005 _ in the second half of the current year after Merck ... - Houston Chronicle,

AZ admits Exanta will never be cleared for sale in US pharmacies  Feb 2, 2006
But it was the performance of the group’s “fabulous five� drugs — Nexium, Seroquel, Crestor, Armidex and Symbicort — that fuelled the profit growth ... - Times Online,

FBR Open  Feb 1, 2006
The AstraZeneca Charity Challenge, formerly known as the Crestor Charity Challenge, is a season-long competition that recognizes and rewards the tournament ... - PGA.com

AstraZeneca Profit Boom  Feb 2, 2006
Other medicine produced are Entocort, Losec/Prilosec, Atacand, Crestor, Imdur, Plendil, Tenoretic, Tenormin, Zestoretic, Zestril, Accolate, Bambec, Bricanyl ... - Spotlighting News

Updates, advisories and surprises  Feb 2, 2006
30% to $1.689 billion from a year earlier as sales climbed 8% to $6.286 billion on strong demand for heartburn treatment Nexium and cholesterol drug Crestor . ... - Investor's Business Daily (subscription)

Drug Interaction with Erythromycin and Ketoconazole

Fexofenadine has been shown to exhibit minimal (ca. 5%) metabolism. However, coñ administration of fexofenadine hydrochloride with either ketoconazole or erythromycin led to increased plasma concentrations of fexofenadine. Fexofenadine had no effect on the pharmacokinetics of either erythromycin or ketoconazole. In 2 separate studies, fexofenadine hydrochloride 120 mg twice daily (240 mg total daily dose) was co-administered with either erythromycin 500 mg every 8 hours or ketoconazole 400 mg once daily under steady-state conditions to healthy volunteers (n=24, each study). No differences in adverse events or QTc interval were observed when subjects were administered fexofenadine hydrochloride alone or in combination with either erythromycin or ketoconazole. The findings of these studies are summarized in the following table:

Effects on steady-state fexofenadine pharmacokinetics after 7 days of
co-administration with fexofenadine hydrochloride 120 mg every 12 hours
(two times the recommended twice daily dose) in healthy volunteers (n=24)

The changes in plasma levels were within the range of plasma levels achieved in adequate and well-controlled clinical trials.

The mechanism of these interactions has been evaluated in in vitro, in situ, and in vivo animal models. These studies indicate that ketoconazole or erythromycin co-administration enhances fexofenadine gastrointestinal absorption. This observed increase in the bioavailability of fexofenadine may be due to transport-related effects, such as p-glycoprotein. in vivo animal studies also suggest that in addition to enhancing absorption, ketoconazole decreases fexofenadine gastrointestinal secretion, while erythromycin may also decrease biliary excretion.

Drug Interactions with Antacids

Administration of 120 mg of fexofenadine hydrochloride (2 x 60 mg capsule) within 15 minutes of an aluminum and magnesium containing antacid (Maalox®) decreased fexofenadine AUC by 41% and c_max by 43%. ALLEGRA should not be taken closely in time with aluminum and magnesium containing antacids.

Interactions with Fruit Juices

Fruit juices such as grapefruit, orange and apple may reduce the bioavailability and exposure of fexofenadine. This is based on the results from 3 clinical studies using histamine induced skin wheals and flares coupled with population pharmacokinetic analysis. The size of wheal and flare were significantly larger when fexofenadine hydrochloride was administered with either grapefruit or orange juices compared to water. Based on the literature reports, the same effects may be extrapolated to other fruit juices such as apple juice. The clinical significance of these observations is unknown. In addition, based on the population pharmacokinetics analysis of the combined data from grapefruit and orange juices studies with the data from a bioequivalence study, the bioavailability of fexofenadine was reduced by 36%. Therefore, to maximize the effects of fexofenadine, it is recommended that ALLEGRA should be taken with water.