GSK’s Asthma Drug Nucala Meets Main Goal in Study on Treating Smoker’s Lungs

(Reuters) -British drugmaker GSK said on Friday that its asthma drug, Nucala, met the main goal of a late-stage study in treating patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or smoker’s lungs.
Patients treated with Nucala and an inhaled maintenance therapy for up to 104 weeks had a lower annualised rate of moderate or severe exacerbations than those given a placebo, GSK said.
COPD causes restricted airflow and breathing problems and is also known as ‘smoker’s lungs’ because in Western countries, it primarily affects cigarette smokers.
Nucala is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits interleukin-5, which helps regulate eosinophils, a type of white blood cell that causes inflammation in the lungs when overproduced.
GSK said COPD affects more than 300 million people, with up to 40% of patients exhibiting type 2 inflammation characterised by raised blood eosinophil count.
Nucala, known also as mepolizumab, was first approved in 2015 for a type of severe asthma in the United States. Its sales grew 18% to 1.7 billion pounds in 2023. It contributed nearly 6% to GSK sales last year.
(Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D’Souza)
 
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.