AstraZeneca Amgen trial could indicate that a ‘game changing’ severe asthma drug is on the horizon

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AstraZeneca photo.
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AstraZeneca and Amgen Inc. reported promising results from a trial for severe asthma drug tezepelumab.

The trial results are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Endpoints newsletter reported the drug could be a potential game changer in a crowded field of potential drugs to treat the widespread condition that affects millions. 

 Jonathan Corren, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA and Principal Investigator of the PATHWAY trial, said: “These efficacy results strongly confirm that TSLP is an important mediator of inflammation in severe asthma. Due to its activity early in the inflammatory cascade, tezepelumab may be suitable for patients with both T2 and non-T2 driven asthma, including those ineligible for current biologic therapies which only target the T2 pathway.”

Bahija Jallal, Executive Vice President, Head of AstraZeneca’s  MedImmune, said: “In asthma patients, TSLP functions as an upstream epithelial ‘master-switch’ right at the start of the inflammation cascade. By binding to TSLP, tezepelumab impacts multiple downstream inflammatory pathways associated with asthma, as shown by striking reductions in the level of multiple biomarkers in the PATHWAY trial, including blood eosinophils, IgE and FeNO. This broad biomarker response is unprecedented among respiratory biologics and reflects our commitment to leading respiratory science for unmet medical needs.”

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Asthma affects 315 million individuals worldwide, and up to 10 percent of asthma patients have severe asthma, which may be uncontrolled despite high doses of standard-of-care asthma controller medicines and can require the use of chronic oral corticosteroids.

Severe, uncontrolled asthma is debilitating and potentially fatal.

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