AstraZeneca said on Monday it will discontinue a late-stage trial for heart disease drug Epanova to treat patients with mixed dyslipidaemia and expects a $100 million writedown to hit its core profit in the fourth quarter.
The biggest British drugmaker by market value said the decision, which followed recommendations from an independent data monitoring committee, was due to low likelihood of Epanova’s benefit to patients with mixed dyslipidaemia.
“We are disappointed by these results, but we remain committed to addressing the needs of patients in the cardiovascular space where we have an extensive pipeline,” Mene Pangalos, the executive vice president of biopharmaceuticals research and development, said.
Mixed dyslipidaemia is characterized by abnormal levels of cholesterol and fatty substances in the blood known as triglycerides.
This article was originally published on Reuters
