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Pharma & Biotech

AstraZeneca asthma treatment does well in final trial

The new drug reduced wheeze, cough, chest tightness and shortness of breath

A new AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) treatment generated significant improvements for severe asthma sufferers in its final trial, the pharma giant revealed today.

Results showed that adding benralizumab to standard-of-care medicine reduced exacerbations by up to 51%, improved lung function after four weeks and reduced wheeze, cough, chest tightness and shortness of breath

Sean Bohen, chief medical officer, said: “The SIROCCO and CALIMA Phase III trials have shown that benralizumab can offer a meaningful treatment option for patients."

Up to 10% of asthma cases are severe, which 40% of these uncontrolled on current standard of care medicine. Severe, uncontrolled asthma has an eight times higher risk of mortality than severe asthma.

Shares eased 37p to 4,904p in London.