. An FDA panel on Wednesday voted to recommend to the agency

toapprove AstraZeneca's Brilinta (ticagrelor) to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiac events in patients with acute coronary syndromes.

The panel voted 7-1 in favour of two questions that asked whether the drug should be approved for use in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, as well as in patients being medically managed and not expected to undergo surgical treatment.

Most panellists said the reduction in deaths and heart attacks in patients involved in a clinical trial was strong enough to recommend approval, but struggled to explain why these same results could not be replicated in a cohort of US patients. An FDA staff review released ahead of the panel meeting raised similar concerns.

While AstraZeneca vice president of clinical development, Jonathan Fox, explained to the panelists that the difference in the US group may be due to aspirin dosage, some committee members thought it could be because of differences in treatment among the patients in the US trials. Panellist James Neaton said "I don't think we have enough data to make a judgment which is very definitive."

The FDA is expected to make a final decision on Brilinta by September 16. Analysts predict that the drug could generate sales of $1.1 billion in 2014