U.S. regulators have approved Novartis AG's (NOVN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) Tekturna blood-pressure pill in combination with the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCT), the Swiss drugmaker said on Monday. The Food and Drug Administration approved a combination of Tekturna, co-developed by Swiss biotech company Speedel (SPPN.S: Quote, Profile, Research), with HCT in a single tablet.

The approval was widely expected but nevertheless is an important step in realising the full potential of Tekturna, known as Rasilez in Europe and seen as a potential blockbuster drug, Vontobel analyst Karl-Heinz Koch said.

"The approval of Tekturna HCT in the U.S. is important to accelerate the prescription uptake of the drug in the U.S., which so far has been relatively slow due to the simultaneous launch of Exforge, another Novartis blood pressure drug," Koch said in a note. - See U.S. approves Novartis's Tekturna HCT for the full report.