Tezspire Shines in Eosinophilic Esophagitis Study

AstraZeneca and Amgen's anti-inflammatory therapy Tezspire has achieved significant results in a late-stage study of eosinophilic esophagitis, a chronic inflammatory disease that damages the esophagus lining and causes difficulty swallowing.

The Phase 3 CROSSING study enrolled nearly 370 patients with symptomatic and histologically active EoE. Participants were given either a high or low dose of Tezspire or a placebo, and at 24 weeks, both co-primary endpoints, histologic remission and the frequency and severity of dysphagia, showed statistically significant improvements among patients on Tezspire.

The effects were maintained through 52 weeks of follow-up. The drug also hit all key secondary efficacy outcomes, including histologic severity. Although specific data was not provided in the press announcement, AstraZeneca and Amgen plan to share CROSSING's outcomes with regulatory authorities 'as quickly as possible', according to Sharon Barr, executive vice president of AstraZeneca's biopharmaceuticals R&D.

This success could set the stage for a label expansion for Tezspire. The partners are currently building toward a regulatory submission for Tezspire in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps in the first half of 2025, and have already seen strong sales growth for the drug, racking up $486 million in worldwide sales in the second quarter of this year, a 42% year-on-year increase driven by stronger uptake.