AstraZeneca is celebrating the news that the US food and drug administration (FDA) has approved Seroquel - a treatment for patients with bipolar disorder.

Seroquel, which is already approved by the FDA for the treatment of schizophrenia, will be aimed at those who suffer from manic mood episodes, interrupted with episodes of severe depression.

According to AstraZeneca, which has a research hand development (R&D) base in Cheshire, patients who received Seroquel once a day experienced "significant reductions" in the severity of their symptoms.

Commenting on recent trials of the drug, Martin Brecher, AstraZeneca executive director, said that Seroquel has the potential to provide a new treatment option for patients "who fail antidepressant therapy with existing treatment".

AstraZeneca's Cheshire facility is the pharmaceutical's largest R&D headquarters and is responsible for major advances in cancer therapy.

Last November, AstraZeneca won the healthcare and pharmaceutical prize at the How-Do Top 100 northwest brands awards.