UPDATE 1-Astra seeks U.S. ok for Symbicort in young children

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UPDATE 1-Astra seeks U.S. ok for Symbicort in young children

LONDON, June 4 (Reuters) -

AstraZeneca Plc (AZN.L: Quote, Profile, Research) is seeking U.S.

approval to market its asthma drug Symbicort as a treatment for young

children, increasing the competitive pressure on GlaxoSmothKline

Plc's (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research) rival product Advair.

The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said on Wednesday it had submitted a

supplemental new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) covering use of Symbicort in children from six years old.

Symbicort is currently approved for the long-term maintenance

treatment of asthma in patients of 12 years and older. Advair is

already cleared for use in children as young as four years old.

The new application is part of a strategy by AstraZeneca to build up

its Symbicort business in the key U.S. market, where it was launched

last year.

It also filed with the FDA for permission to sell Symbicort as a

treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at the end

of April.

Both Symbicort and Advair are inhaled drugs combining a

corticosteroid and a long-acting beta-agonist.

Advair is Glaxo's biggest seller, with global sales of 3.5 billion

pounds ($6.9 billion) last year -- a figure that the company's

outgoing chief executive recently predicted would top 4 billion

pounds in 2008.

Symbicort is a smaller product, selling $1.6 billion worldwide in

2008, although analysts expect it to grow following its U.S. launch.

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Alana