AstraZeneca's Tozorakimab Cuts COPD Flare-Ups by About 30% in Trials

AstraZeneca's experimental drug tozorakimab — an injectable medicine also known by the nickname "tozo" — is being tested against chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive lung condition. In a pair of Phase 3 trials — the late-stage human studies required before a drug can be considered for approval — tozorakimab reduced COPD flare-ups by about 30% across all patients over a year. That result positions tozorakimab as a potential new treatment option for people with the disease.

The flare-ups, known as exacerbations, are any sudden worsening of COPD that requires medical care, such as a severe cough or breathlessness. The trial data were presented at the European Respiratory Society's (ERS) annual conference in Barcelona and published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). COPD is the third-leading cause of death globally.

That reduction makes tozorakimab competitive with other COPD treatments that have reached patients in recent years.

The tozorakimab trials notably included patients who were not eligible for those other newer COPD drugs.