Tezspire Scores Phase 3 Victory Over Dupixent in Rare Swallowing Disorder

Amgen and AstraZeneca's Tezspire has secured a significant phase 3 clinical victory in treating eosinophilic esophagitis, a rare swallowing disorder. The CROSSING trial hit all primary and key secondary endpoints, demonstrating statistically significant improvements in histologic remission and swallowing difficulties compared to placebo at week 24 of the trial.

The treatment effects on both co-primary endpoints were sustained through week 52 across both doses of Tezspire tested in the trial. This achievement positions Tezspire to potentially expand into its third inflammatory disease indication, beyond severe asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting over 470,000 people in the US, causing narrowing and difficulty swallowing. Tezspire targets thymic stromal lymphopoietin, a key epithelial cytokine driving an overreactive immune response, differing from Dupixent's downstream mechanism of action.

Amgen and AstraZeneca will now look to leverage the CROSSING data to pursue regulatory approval, opening a new commercial front against Sanofi and Regeneron's established Dupixent franchise. Primary investigator Arjan Bredenoord highlighted the strength of the results across the full year of follow-up.