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| |  Astra Merck's Lexxel Now Available to Treat Hypertension WAYNE, Pa., March 13, 1997 -- Astra Merck Inc. today announced that Lexxel(TM) (enalapril maleate-felodipine ER), a fixed-dose combination therapy for the treatment of hypertension is now available in pharmacies throughout the United States. Lexxel is the only antihypertensive that combines the most frequently prescribed ACE inhibitor Vasotec(R) (enalapril maleate) and the long-acting calcium channel blocker (CCB) Plendil(R) (felodipine ER). Lexxel is indicated for the treatment of hypertension in patients who fail to achieve adequate control with either enalapril or felodipine monotherapy. The efficacy of Lexxel can be attributed to the complementary antihypertensive actions of its two components. Vasotec, an ACE inhibitor, works by interrupting the chain of molecular messengers that constrict blood vessels. Plendil, a long-acting CCB, works by preventing calcium from entering vessel walls. "Combination antihypertensive medications such as Lexxel provide physicians with another option for controlling high blood pressure that may not be responding well to single treatment with a CCB or ACE inhibitor," said Henry R. Black, M.D., Chairman, Department of Preventive Medicine, Rush-Presbyterian -- St. Luke's Medical Center. Often referred to as the "silent killer," hypertension affects 50 million people in the United States and is responsible for more than 40,000 deaths annually, according to the American Heart Association. Uncontrolled hypertension has been linked to stroke, heart attack and heart failure. Although the cause of 90-95 percent of cases of hypertension is unknown, the disease can be easily detected and controlled with medication. Despite available treatments, recent public health surveys suggest that only one in five Americans with hypertension have their blood pressure adequately controlled. Hypertension is commonly treated with a variety of individual therapies. Of those treated, one out of two patients are prescribed either an ACE inhibitor or a CCB. When either of these therapies fail, physicians often prescribe a combination of the two. Lexxel is a fixed-dose combination prescription medication containing 5 mg enalapril and 5 mg felodipine. In general, treatment with Lexxel is well tolerated, with most adverse events being mild and transient. The most frequently observed clinical adverse events occurring with an incidence of one percent or greater include headache, peripheral edema and dizziness. As with other combination medications containing an ACE inhibitor component, Lexxel should be discontinued as soon as pregnancy is detected. Astra Merck Inc. is a free-standing joint venture, owned equally by Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) and Astra AB of Sweden. It has exclusive rights to develop and market most Astra compounds in the U.S. In addition to Lexxel, Astra Merck currently markets the cardiovascular medications Plendil and Tonocard(R) (tocainide HCI) and the antisecretory agent Prilosec(R) (omeprazole).
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