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The UK's second-largest drugmaker, AstraZeneca, has secured US approval to market its cholesterol treatment for use against the clogging of arteries.

Reports say the decision by the US food and drug administration to approve Crestor for such use is likely to boost sales of the drug in an increasingly competitive market.

Crestor is the first cholesterol-lowering drug to be approved by US regulators to help
combat atherosclerosis, a disease which leads to the progressive build-up of fatty deposits in the inner walls of the arteries.

The condition, which occurs as a result of high cholesterol levels, has no visible signs or symptoms but can eventually lead to sufferers experiencing a heart attack or stroke.

AstraZeneca said its request to have the drug approved by the US authorities was based on an evaluation of Crestor's effectiveness which showed that the drug slowed the progression of atherosclerosis in people with early signs of the disease, elevated cholesterol levels and low cardiovascular risk.

Welcoming the decision by the US authorities to sanction the marketing of the drug to combat atherosclerosis, AstraZeneca said: "This new indication gives Crestor an important differentiator from competitors in the cholesterol-lowering marketplace."

News that Crestor has been approved for use by health officials in America comes after AstraZeneca revealed last week that a Canadian pharmaceutical firm was seeking regulatory approval in the US to sell a generic version of the drug.

Cobalt Pharmaceuticals intends to try and exploit a legal loophole it believes it has found in regard to AstraZeneca's patent on Crestor, in a move which could threaten sales of the drug.