AstraZenecaAstraZeneca and Abbott have entered into an agreement for AstraZeneca to co-promote Abbott's TRILIPIX, a medication for use alone or in combination with a statin to treat certain lipid disorders. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will obtain the non-exclusive right to co-promote TRILIPIX alongside Abbott in the United States, excluding Puerto Rico. Specific financial terms were not disclosed.

"Abbott's portfolio of lipid therapies is designed to help physicians manage a patient's total lipid profile," said Jeffrey Stewart, divisional vice president, Primary Care, Abbott. "With AstraZeneca's established presence in the cardiovascular space, this agreement allows Abbott to expand visibility and education of TRILIPIX among physicians whose patients may benefit from this medication."

"Part of AstraZeneca's corporate strategy is to establish successful external collaborations. AstraZeneca has a long-standing commitment to cardiovascular health and has an established presence in the cholesterol market. This agreement allows us to further strengthen our presence with physicians by including TRILIPIX as an offering to physicians for patients with dyslipidemia," said Jim Helm, vice president, cardiovascular, AstraZeneca US. "With clinical data to support its use in helping certain patients with mixed dyslipidemia to manage all three key lipids, TRILIPIX is another important therapeutic option we can now offer physicians."

TRILIPIX is a prescription medicine that is used along with diet to lower triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol, and increase HDL (good) cholesterol. TRILIPIX is also used along with diet to lower triglycerides and increase HDL cholesterol in people who are at high risk of heart disease and are taking a statin medicine to control their LDL cholesterol. TRILIPIX has not been shown to prevent heart attacks or stroke more than a statin alone.

About the Agreement
This is the second co-promotion agreement between AstraZeneca and Abbott. In August of 2008, the companies announced a non-exclusive agreement for Abbott to co-promote AstraZeneca's CRESTOR alongside AstraZeneca in the United States.

About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of meaningful prescription medicines and supplier for healthcare services. AstraZeneca is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of US$ 31.6 billion and is a leader in gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infectious disease medicines. For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit: www.astrazeneca.com.

About Abbott
Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs more than 72,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries. Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the company's Web site at www.abbott.com.