06:47 AM EDT, 05/20/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Amgen ( AMGN ) and AstraZeneca ( AZN ) said late Sunday that the Phase 2a trial of their experimental drug, Tezspire, to treat moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) did not show a statistically significant reduction in the severity of the disease compared to placebo.

The data, when compared to placebo, showed an insignificant 17% reduction in the annual rate of moderate to severe COPD exacerbations in the patient population, which included individuals irrespective of emphysema, chronic bronchitis, or smoking status.

However, in some subsets of the patient population treated with Tezspire, the data showed a 37%- 46% reduction in exacerbations compared to placebo.

The companies are now actively planning a Phase 3 clinical program to evaluate the drug in patients with COPD, said Jay Bradner, chief scientific officer at Amgen ( AMGN ).

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