AstraZeneca's drug Fasenra flops in COPD trial

LONDON (Reuters) - AstraZeneca’s said its first respiratory biologic medicine Fasenra failed to meet its target in a clinical trial treating patients with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The drug is currently approved as an add-on treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma in the United States, the European Union, Japan and several other countries.

The British company said Fasenra did not cause a statistically-significant reduction of exacerbations in patients with COPD in the final-stage trial, named Galathea.

A separate study, named Terranova, is ongoing, and AstraZeneca said it would fully evaluate both trials to determine the next steps for Fasenra in COPD.