Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) announced that Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Inc, US, submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for azilsartan medoxomil (development code: TAK-491), an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) under investigation for the treatment of hypertension. Discovered by Takeda, azilsartan medoxomil is designed to lower blood pressure by blocking the action of a vasopressor hormone, angiotensin II.

“The NDA submission for azilsartan medoxomil is built upon a robust data package and is a significant milestone for Takeda,” said Nancy Joseph-Ridge, general manager of Takeda’s Pharmaceutical Development Division. “We are proud to build upon our global expertise in the cardiovascular therapeutic area with this filing, and believe this compound, once approved, will provide an important treatment option for hypertensive patients and the health care providers who manage them.”

The NDA submission was supported by seven phase-3 clinical trials involving more than 5,900 patients. The safety and efficacy of azilsartan medoxomil was studied for initial therapy as a once-daily oral monotherapy or in combination with other anti-hypertensive medications, including chlorthalidone and amlodipine, and was also studied in comparison to olmesartan medoxomil, valsartan and ramipril. Results from five of the pivotal phase-3 studies will be presented May 1 to 4, 2010, at the American Society of Hypertension Inc (ASH), 25th Annual Scientific Meeting and Exposition in New York.