AstraZeneca's COPD drug scores two late-stage trial wins as full data boosts blockbuster hopes

AstraZeneca on Tuesday released full results from two successful late-stage trials on its experimental drug for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, boosting hopes that it could generate multibillion-dollar sales for the company. The biologic medicine, tozorakimab, is under priority review by the Food and Drug Administration, with U.S. approval expected in the first quarter of 2027. The drug, administered once every four weeks, helped reduce flare-ups in a broad range of people with the condition. "We truly believe that a large population of COPD patients can benefit from this new medicine," Ruud Dobber, president of AstraZeneca's biopharmaceuticals business unit, said in an interview. The treatment reduced moderate and severe COPD flare-ups in the primary population of former smokers by 29% and 34%, respectively, compared to a placebo on top of the current inhaled standard of care. The drug, tozorakimab, also reduced moderate and severe flare-ups in a larger overall population of current and former smokers by 30% and 29%, respectively, compared to the placebo group. The detailed data reinforces hopes that the product could be a breakthrough treatment for COPD, a progressive lung...