An asthma drug being developed by Thousand Oaks-based Amgen and AstraZeneca showed significant yearly reduction for patients, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine Sept. 6.

Patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma using tezepelumab saw a drop in annual exacerbation compared with patients taking a placebo, Amgen said in a news release. The results will be presented to the European Respiratory Society on Sept. 12 in Milan.

The trial administered the drug as an additional therapy for patients using inhaled corticosteroids or other asthma controllers and saw a 61-71 percent decrease in exacerbation rates depending on the dosage. Tezepelumab is an anti-thymic stromal lymphopoietin, or TSLP, monoclonal antibody.

“These efficacy results confirm the hypothesis that TSLP is an important mediator of inflammation in severe asthma,” said Jonathan Corren, principal investigator on the trial. “Due to its activity early in the inflammatory cascade, tezepelumab may be suitable for patients with both T2 and non-T2 driven asthma, including those ineligible for current biologic therapies which only target the T2 pathway.”

• Contact Marissa Nall at mnall@pacbiztimes.com.