Tekturna - the first new type of high blood pressure medicine in more than a decade - receives its first approval in the US.

(From Hugin)

Corporate news announcement processed and transmitted by Hugin ASA. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- * Tekturna, the first approved direct renin inhibitor, acts on one of the body's key regulators of blood pressure by targeting renin * Tekturna provides significant blood pressure reduction for a full 24 hours and is generally well tolerated * Important additional blood pressure lowering observed when Tekturna added to other high blood pressure medicines * High blood pressure is a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease, the world's No. 1 killer Basel, March 6, 2007 - Novartis announced today that the United States has become the first country in the world to approve Tekturna (aliskiren), the first new type of medicine in more than a decade for treating high blood pressure - a condition estimated to affect nearly one billion people worldwide and still uncontrolled in nearly 70% of patients. The US Food and Drug…