Amgen/AstraZeneca's Asthma Drug Tezspire Vs. Sanofi/Regeneron's Blockbuster Dupixent - Analyst Gives His Pick

Tuesday, Amgen Inc AMGN provided an update regarding the results of the Phase 2a COURSE trial for Tezspire (tezepelumab-ekko) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

Tezspire is a registered trademark of Amgen and AstraZeneca Plc AZN.

• Overall, tezepelumab numerically reduced the annualized rate of moderate or severe COPD exacerbations versus placebo by 17%, although the reduction was not statistically significant, with p=0.1042. 
• More reductions were observed in a prespecified subgroup of patients with baseline eosinophil count (BEC) ≥150 cells/μL (37%).
• The trend in reduction was greater in a small number of subjects with BEC ≥300 cells/µL. 

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William Blair compared Tezspire’s results with Sanofi SA SNY and Regeneron Pharmaceutical Inc‘s REGN Dupixent, demonstrating a 30% and 34% decrease in annualized moderate or severe acute COPD exacerbations in their Phase 3 studies. 

However, Dupixent trials specifically enrolled patients with elevated blood eosinophils (≥300 cells/μL) at baseline, known to be linked with higher COPD exacerbation rates. 

Tezspire’s trials indicated at least a 37% reduction in exacerbations for patients with eosinophil counts ≥150 cells/μL and ≥300 cells/μL, potentially offering greater benefits than Dupixent for this subset of patients. 

This positive outcome in COPD could significantly expand Tezspire’s market beyond asthma, especially considering its successful commercial launch in 2021. 

Investor interest in targeted therapies for COPD has risen due to Dupixent’s success, and Tezspire’s efficacy in a broader patient subset (150 cells/μL versus 300 cells/μL baseline eosinophil counts for Dupixent) is promising. 

While awaiting the full dataset, the indication of a positive trend across all patients suggests further market opportunities for Tezspire.

The analyst keeps the Market Perform rating for the stock.

Price Action: AMGN shares are up 0.06% at $265.80 on the last check Wednesday.

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