AstraZeneca "excited" by positive results in Tezspire clinical trial

AstraZeneca has announced positive high-level results from a phase III for its Texspire treatment for nasal polyps.

The company said results from the WAYPOINT trial, which evaluated the efficacy and safety of Tezspire (otherwise known as tezepelumab) compared to a placebo in adults with severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, showed a "statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in the size of nasal polyps and reduced nasal congestion compared to placebo".

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps can lead to obstructions in the nasal passage, resulting in disturbances in smell, taste and sleep as well as pain and fatigue.

"The impressive data from the WAYPOINT trial demonstrate tezepelumab's potential as a new treatment for patients whose lives are disrupted by this debilitating disease," said Joseph Han, the co-primary investigator in the trial.

Sharon Barr, executive vice president of biopharmaceuticals R&D at AstraZeneca, said the company was "excited by the positive results".

"These results reinforce that tezepelumab's first-in-class mode of action, targeting TSLP at the top of the inflammatory cascade, effectively addresses the multiple drivers of epithelial-driven inflammatory diseases."