ALDERLEY PARK, June 23 -- PR Newswire/AsiaNet AstraZeneca announced important new data today from three separate studies presented this week at the 24th Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum (CINP) meeting in Paris. The studies show that patients with schizophrenia who are treated with SEROQUEL (quetiapine) experience an overall improvement across a broad range of symptoms associated with schizophrenia, including both positive and negative symptoms, and cognitive functioning. These data add to the extensive set of clinical evidence demonstrating SEROQUEL's efficacy and tolerability in treating schizophrenia. Results from the first study, the largest 8-week, double-blind, randomised clinical trial to date comparing SEROQUEL and risperidone in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia, show SEROQUEL to be as effective as risperidone at improving the overall cognitive functioning of patients with schizophrenia(1). Cognitive deficiencies can be highly debilitating to patients with schizophrenia and can potentially compromise patient compliance, increasing the risk of relapse. At week 8, the overall improvement in cognitive functioning in patients treated with SEROQUEL was supported by significant improvements in specific aspects of cognitive functioning related to functional outcome: phonological fluency (p5% from baseline was observed in 37.5% (olanzapine), 28% (risperidone) and 16% (SEROQUEL) of patients. SEROQUEL is manufactured by AstraZeneca and has been licensed for use in schizophrenia since 1997 and is available in 81 countries. Seroquel combines broad-based efficacy in the treatment of positive, negative, cognitive and affective symptoms of schizophrenia, while offering excellent tolerability. SEROQUEL is associated with an incidence of EPS and prolactin elevation no different to placebo across the full dosage range, a favourable weight profile in long-term use, and no clinically important effects on QT interval in most patients. To date, over 4 million people have been treated with SEROQUEL worldwide. AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world with healthcare sales of over $18.8 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, oncology, cardiovascular, neuroscience and respiratory products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global and European) as well as the FTSE4Good Index. In Neuroscience, AstraZeneca is dedicated to providing medicines that have the potential to change patients' lives. The company already markets several products including SEROQUEL, one of the fastest growing global antipsychotics with proven efficacy and a very favourable side effect profile; and ZOMIG, a reliable migraine therapy and a leader within the triptan market. The Neuroscience pipeline includes leading approaches for the treatment of depression and anxiety, overactive bladder, dementia and stroke, pain control and anaesthesia. For more information, please visit www.astrazenecapressoffice.com Notes to Editors: Further results from the study conducted by Dr. Michael Riedel comparing SEROQUEL and risperidone in patients with schizophrenia: - PANNS negative subscale scores were significantly reduced from Week 1 with both treatments (p less than or equals to 0.01) - SANS scores showed similar efficacy for SEROQUEL and risperidone except in the SANS attention subscale where SEROQUEL improved scores more significantly than risperidone (p < 0.05) at endpoint (week 12) - Risperidone-treated patients required significantly higher mean doses of anticholinergic medication (2.57 plus or minus 1.13 mg/day) compared to SEROQUEL-treated patients (0.36 plus or minus 0.00 mg/day, p < 0.001) Further results from the study conducted by Professor Emilio Sacchetti comparing SEROQUEL, olanzapine and risperidone in patients with schizophrenia: - At week 8 BPRS hostility cluster scores improved by 40.1% (SEROQUEL), 34.3% (olanzapine) and 33.4% (risperidone) - On the BAS score, an improvement in drug-induced akathisia was observed with SEROQUEL (1.2 to 0.9 by week 8) and olanzapine (1.1 to 0.9 by week 8) whilst conversely, a worsening was observed with risperidone (0.5 to 1.6 by week 8). Scales PANSS: Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale - a scale used in schizophrenia to evaluate the clinical severity of symptoms SANS: Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms SAS: Simpson-Angus Scale BPRS: Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale BAS: Barnes-Akathisia Scale All product names appear in upper case. SEROQUEL is a trade mark of the AstraZeneca group of companies. SEROQUEL is not registered in France. For further information, please view a webcast on this data being broadcast from the CINP meeting on www.astrazenecapressoffice.com or contact: For an electronic and downloadable version of this press release, please visit the psychiatry resource internet site at: www.psychiatry-in-practice.com This psychiatry resource features educational materials relating to severe mental illness, including background information on schizophrenia as well as epidemiological data and treatment issues clinicians face in everyday practice. References: 1. Harvey P et al. Improvements in cognitive functioning for patients with schizophrenia after treatment with quetiapine ('Seroquel') or risperidone. Presented at the 24th Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum Congress, June 2004, Paris, France. 2. Riedel M, et al. Quetiapine ('Seroquel') has equivalent efficacy and superior tolerability to risperidone in treating the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Presented at the 24th Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum Congress, June 2004, Paris, France. 3. Sacchetti E, et al. Comparison of quetiapine ('Seroquel'), olanzapine, and risperidone in a randomised study in patients with schizophrenia. Presented at the 24th Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum Congress, June 2004, Paris, France. CONTACT: Carla Burigatto at AstraZeneca, Tel: +1-302-886-5953 [email protected] or Rupert Doggett at Shire Health International, Tel: +44-(0)-7765-848-795, rupert.doggett@shirehealthinternational.com SOURCE: AstraZeneca --Distributed by AsiaNet (www.asianetnews.net)--