Key facts
- AstraZeneca's asthma drug Tezspire met primary goals in a late-stage trial for eosinophilic esophagitis.
- The trial demonstrated Tezspire significantly reduced oesophageal inflammation and swallowing difficulties compared to a placebo.
- Tezspire is a monoclonal antibody that targets the TSLP protein, which triggers inflammation.
- The drug is already approved as an add-on treatment for severe asthma in multiple countries.
- AstraZeneca has experienced several recent pipeline setbacks, including failed trials for other drugs.
AstraZeneca announced on Thursday that its asthma drug, Tezspire, successfully met the primary objectives in a late-stage clinical trial for patients suffering from eosinophilic esophagitis, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the oesophagus. The study indicated that Tezspire significantly reduced inflammation in the oesophagus and alleviated difficulty in swallowing when compared to a placebo. This positive outcome provides a much-needed boost for AstraZeneca, which has faced a series of recent setbacks in its drug pipeline.
Tezspire, co-developed with Amgen, is a monoclonal antibody designed to block the TSLP protein, a key factor in inflammatory conditions driven by eosinophils. The drug is already approved in the United States, European Union, and other regions as an adjunctive therapy for severe asthma, where it competes with Sanofi and Regeneron's established drug, Dupixent. In 2025, Tezspire generated $1.13 billion in sales for AstraZeneca.
The company, under CEO Pascal Soriot, is aiming for $80 billion in annual sales by 2030, relying on the launch of up to 20 new drugs. However, AstraZeneca has encountered several recent disappointments. In July, the drug Wainua failed a heart disease trial, and a late-stage study of the rare disease drug Ultomiris also did not meet its goals. In May, a U.S. regulatory panel declined to approve its breast cancer drug camizestrant due to trial design concerns. Furthermore, AstraZeneca recently halted an advanced study of its experimental lung cancer drug volrustomig after an oversight committee deemed it unlikely to succeed.
Despite the encouraging results for Tezspire, investors are closely watching for upcoming data from two critical cancer trials that are considered vital for AstraZeneca's pipeline and for alleviating pressure on the company's shares. AstraZeneca's stock was down 0.5% by 0729 GMT on Thursday, following a 14% decline since the failure of the Wainua trial.