GSK’s asthma drug Nucala meets main goal in study on treating smoker’s lungs
GSK’s asthma drug Nucala meets main goal in study on treating smoker’s lungs
Sept 6 (Reuters) – British drugmaker GSK (GSK.L) said on Friday that its asthma drug, Nucala, met the main goal of a late-stage study in treating patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or smoker’s lungs.
Patients treated with Nucala and an inhaled maintenance therapy for up to 104 weeks had a lower annualised rate of moderate or severe exacerbations than those given a placebo, GSK said.
COPD causes restricted airflow and breathing problems and is also known as ‘smoker’s lungs’ because in Western countries, it primarily affects cigarette smokers.
Nucala is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits interleukin-5, which helps regulate eosinophils, a type of white blood cell that causes inflammation in the lungs when overproduced.
GSK said COPD affects more than 300 million people, with up to 40% of patients exhibiting type 2 inflammation characterised by raised blood eosinophil count.
