By Aakash B
(Reuters) – The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug AstraZeneca to treat patients with a form of lung disease, the British drug maker said on Friday.
The drug Breztri Aerosphere is being approved as a maintenance treatment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the third leading cause of death worldwide, AstraZeneca said.
Known as the “smoker’s lung”, COPD is a life-threatening condition that is progressively worsening and affects more than 380 million people worldwide, caused mainly by smoking, but also by occupational hazards such as air pollution or chemical gases.
AstraZeneca’s approval comes at a time when the British drug maker is trying to achieve the runaway success of the drug Trelegy Ellipta from rival Glaxosmithkline.
COPD related sales of Trelegy Ellipta tripled to £ 518m last year. Italian Chiesi’s Trimbow is another competitor in the European market.
The Breztri Aerosphere, which is a three-drug inhaler, is already approved in Japan and China for COPD patients and is under regulatory review in the European Union, AstraZeneca said.
Last month, data from a late-stage trial showed Breztri reduced the risk of recurrence of flares or exacerbations by 13% to 24% compared to standard two-drug inhalers, and reduced the risk of death. all causes by 46%.
“Preventing exacerbations is critical to managing COPD … Breztri Aerosphere has shown significant benefits in reducing exacerbations,” said Weill Cornell, a researcher in a late-stage trial that tested the drug.
Astra respiratory medicine sales increased 10% last year, while cancer medicines recorded a 44% increase in revenue.
(Report by Aakash Jagadeesh Babu in Bangalore; Shounak Dasgupta and Catherine Evans edition)
