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Biotech / Medical : Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ALXN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Miljenko Zuanic who wrote (392)	11/12/2003 7:15:09 PM
From: Miljenko Zuanic	Respond to of 824

One competing drug down... WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--A study of Aventis S.A.'s experimental product cariporide showed it cut the number of heart attacks after bypass surgery, but increased the number of strokes. Because of the unwanted increase in strokes, Aventis has elected not to apply for approval of the product at this time, said the study's lead investigator, Dr. Robert M. Mentzer Jr. The trial examined 5,770 patients and randomly assigned them to receive either surgery alone or surgery plus cariporide. "The agent was very effective," said Mentzer, chair of the surgery department at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. But Mentzer said the increase in strokes was "small, but real." There were 70 strokes in the surgery-only arm of the trial and 125 strokes in the group that also received the treatment. The trial also showed that post-surgery heart attacks are more common than originally estimated. The literature on the subject, Mentzer said, reported roughly a 4% heart attack rate. However, he found the rate as high as 20%. Mentzer said the goal now is to separate the stroke side effect from the benefit of cutting the incidence of heart attacks. -By Otesa Middleton, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6654; otesa.middleton@dowjones.com