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Data Show ARIMIDEX(R) (Anastrozole) Continues To Be Superior to Tamoxifen in Helping Reduce the Risk of Recurrence in Patients With Early Breast Cancer

Posted on: Friday, 14 December 2007, 18:00 CST

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Data released today show a continued benefit of ARIMIDEX when compared to tamoxifen in treating postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) early breast cancer. Results of the ATAC (ARIMIDEX, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination) trial, reported today at the 2007 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, represent a median follow-up of more than eight years and show an absolute reduction in the risk of recurrence and distant recurrence with ARIMIDEX. The ATAC trial is one of the world's longest and largest breast cancer studies and is supported by AstraZeneca.

With approximately 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States today, the ATAC 100-month analysis marks a major milestone in understanding the treatment of HR+ early breast cancer(1). The data show that the effects of ARIMIDEX in decreasing the risk of recurrence compared with tamoxifen continue even after patients have completed therapy.

At a median follow-up of 100 months, more than three years after the completion of treatment, ARIMIDEX significantly reduces the risk of recurrence in comparison with tamoxifen in postmenopausal patients with HR+ breast cancer. A significant benefit of ARIMIDEX on distant recurrence is now evident (HR+population p=0.027), and ARIMIDEX is also shown to reduce the risk of distant metastases. Although there was no difference in overall survival, the impact of ARIMIDEX at reducing distant metastases is important, as distant recurrence-free survival is an important predictor for survival related to breast cancer(2).

"The long-term data from the ATAC trial continue to impact the way physicians worldwide treat postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer," said Aman U. Buzdar, MD, who represents North America on the ATAC Steering Committee and is the principle investigator for the trial in the United States. "ARIMIDEX has been shown to be significantly superior to tamoxifen in terms of disease-free survival, time to recurrence, time to distant metastases and contralateral breast cancer."

The ATAC trial is one of the largest studies evaluating five years of primary adjuvant therapy with an aromatase inhibitor (AI).

The availability of 100 months of follow-up data is also providing long- term information on the safety profile of five years of treatment with ARIMIDEX. During the treatment period, ARIMIDEX was associated with an increased incidence of joint symptoms and fractures (10 percent versus 7 percent). However, the 100-month analysis showed that fracture rates decreased after completion of treatment and were similar in both treatment arms.

About ARIMIDEX

Prescription ARIMIDEX is only for postmenopausal women. ARIMIDEX should not be taken if you are pregnant because it may harm your unborn child.

In the early breast cancer clinical trial, the most common side effects seen with ARIMIDEX include hot flashes, joint symptoms, weakness, mood changes, pain, sore throat, nausea and vomiting, depression, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, swelling of arms/legs, and headache. Fractures (including fractures of the spine, hip, and wrist) occurred more frequently with ARIMIDEX than with tamoxifen (10 percent versus 7 percent).

ARIMIDEX should not be taken with tamoxifen or estrogen-containing therapies.

For more information, please see ARIMIDEX full Prescribing Information available at http://www.arimidex.com/.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a major international health care business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of health care services. It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with health care sales of $26.47 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index.

In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $12.44 billion health care business with more than 12,000 employees. For nearly three decades, AstraZeneca has offered drug assistance programs side by side with its medicines, and over the past five years, has provided over three billion in savings to more than one million patients throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. AstraZeneca has been named one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazine and is the only large pharmaceutical company named to FORTUNE magazine's 2007 list of "100 Best Companies to Work For." In 2006, for the fifth consecutive year, Science magazine named AstraZeneca a "Top Employer" on its ranking of the world's most respected biopharmaceutical employers.

For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit: http://www.astrazeneca-/ us.com

ARIMIDEX is a registered trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies. (1) American Cancer Society. What Are the Key Statistics for Breast

Cancer? http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_are_the_key_statisti cs_for_breast_cancer_5.asp (Due to the length of the URL, please copy and paste URL into browser to view.) Accessed 10/31/2007.

(2) Del Mastro et al. Reducing the risk of distant metastases in breast cancer patients: role of aromatase inhibitors. Cancer Treatment Rev 2007 In Press.

AstraZeneca

CONTACT: Laurie Casaday of AstraZeneca, +1-302-290-2624,Laurie.Casaday@astrazeneca.com

Web site: http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/http://www.arimidex.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/985887.html

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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