AstraZeneca-Amgen drug gets FDA speedy review as asthma treatment

[July 08, 2021]  (Reuters) -Drugmakers AstraZeneca and Amgen said on Thursday their experimental drug tezepelumab was granted a speedy review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for potential approval as a treatment for asthma.

The medicine showed in trials it can reduce asthma attacks in patients with severe and uncontrolled forms of the respiratory condition, with promise for wider use against different triggers.

"Severe asthma is a challenging, complex disease for physicians and millions of patients and has a high unmet medical need," said Amgen senior exective David Reese.

Roughly 339 million people suffer from asthma worldwide, 10% of whom have severe forms of the condition.

The companies said the fast-tracked review follows their application to the U.S. regulator, and a decision on the drug is expected in the first quarter of next year.

(Reporting by Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Shounak Dasgupta)

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