GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK.US) asthma drug may treat chronic lung disease or open up new growth avenues
GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK.US) best-selling asthma drug Nucala has shown positive results in treating another chronic lung disease, potentially opening up a new growth path for the product.
Nucala, first approved in the U.S. in 2015 for severe asthma, is now the company's top performer, with sales of £1.7bn ($2.24bn) last year.
The British drugmaker said a late-stage trial in some adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease showed Nucala had a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in the rate of moderate and severe exacerbations compared with a placebo group, after two years of treatment.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a life-threatening inflammatory respiratory disease that causes airflow blockage and affects more than 300 million people worldwide. Exacerbations, which can be recurrent or sudden worsening of symptoms, damage the lungs and require hospitalization. GSK said this could constitute a vicious cycle of overall health deterioration, symptom worsening, quality-of-life decline and rising mortality.
As of writing, GSK was up 0.63% before the market opened, up 19% over the past year.
Notably, there had been no new therapies for the disease for more than a decade until recently, when France's Sanofi's (SNY.US) Dupixent was approved as an add-on treatment for some COPD patients in Europe.
GSK said the trial, which involved 806 people, used Nucala's monoclonal antibody in addition to inhaler maintenance therapy. The drugmaker released key data from the study, with full results to be published later.