>>SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug 13 (Reuters) - Small biotechnology company Scios Inc. (NasdaqNM:SCIO - news) said on Monday that U.S. regulators approved its Natrecor drug for the intravenous treatment of patients with congestive heart failure who have shortness of breath.
Scios said it has established the marketing, sales and manufacturing capability necessary to launch Natrecor in U.S. hospitals by the end of August.
Last month the company received conditional approval for the genetically engineered drug, the first new therapy for congestive heart failure in more than a decade. Roughly 5 million people in the United States suffer from heart failure, with 550,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
Natrecor is the first of a new drug class, called human B-type natriuretic peptides (hBNP), to be made available as a therapeutic for human disease in the United States. Natrecor is a recombinant form of hBNP, a natural protein found in the body.
The treatment works by relaxing the vessels of the heart, allowing more blood to flow. The company used genetic engineering techniques to clone a natural hormone in the heart that helps prevent fluids from accumulating and ``drowning'' the heart-failure patient. <<
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