THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., May 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN ) and AstraZeneca today announced the results of the Phase 2a COURSE trial evaluating Tezspire® (tezepelumab-ekko) in people with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with a broad range of baseline blood eosinophil counts (BEC) irrespective of emphysema, chronic bronchitis or smoking status. The primary results showed that treatment with Tezspire led to a 17% numerical reduction in the annual rate of moderate or severe COPD exacerbations compared to placebo at week 52, which was not statistically significant (90% CI: -6, 36; p[1-sided]=0.
1042). The results will be featured in presentations at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference, May 17-22, in San Diego. Importantly, this proof-of-concept study showed that, in patients with BEC ≥150 cells/μL, tezepelumab led to a nominally significant reduction of 37% in the rate of moderate or severe exacerbations compared to placebo.
Studies suggest that approximately 65% of bio-eligible patients with COPD have a BEC ≥150 cells/μL. Among patients with BEC ≥300 cells/μL, tezepelumab led to a numerical reduction of 46% in the rate of moderate or severe exacerbations (Table 1). Trends towards improved outcomes were also seen with tezepelumab use for pre-bronchodilator FEV1 and SGRQ total score.
"Despite advances in treatments for patients with COPD, there is still a pressing need for effective therapies that .