UK's National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) Clears AstraZeneca PLC Brilinta Bloodthinner

AstraZeneca PLC's (AZN) key new heart drug Brilinta has secured final backing from the U.K.'s health-care cost-effectiveness regulator for use on the state-funded National Health Service in England and Wales. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, or NICE, said the medicine, also known as ticagrelor, is cost-effective and therefore recommends its use in combination with aspirin as a treatment option in adults with acute coronary syndrome. The final decision confirms draft guidance issued by NICE in May.