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AstraZeneca said on Thursday its asthma drug Tezspire met the main goals \u200cof a late-stage trial in patients with a chronic inflammatory disorder of the oesophagus, offering the company a boost after a string of pipeline setbacks.<\/strong><\/p>\n While the outcome could help restore some confidence in AstraZeneca\u2019s pipeline, which has been squeezed by a \u200bseries of trial failures and regulatory setbacks, investors remain focused on the upcoming results of two \u200bcancer trials seen as more supportive of the company\u2019s growth prospects and share price.<\/p>\n Tezspire, \u2060developed with Amgen significantly reduced inflammation in the oesophagus and eased difficulty in swallowing versus a placebo \u200bat 52 weeks in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis, the study showed. The condition affects more than 470,000 people in \u200bthe United States.<\/p>\n CEO Pascal Soriot is steering AstraZeneca towards its target of $80 billion in annual sales by 2030, counting on up to 20 new drug launches as the company grapples with patent expiries and trial disappointments.<\/p>\n In July, nerve disease drug Wainua unexpectedly \u200bfailed a heart disease trial, while an advanced study of rare disease drug Ultomiris also failed. In May, a \u200bU.S. regulatory panel rejected its breast cancer drug camizestrant on trial design grounds.<\/p>\n AstraZeneca also halted a late-stage study of experimental lung \u200ccancer drug volrustomig \u2060this month after a committee overseeing the trial said it was unlikely to meet its main goal.<\/p>\n The company\u2019s shares were down 0.6% by 1114 GMT on Thursday, having fallen 14% since Wainua\u2019s trial failure.<\/p>\n TEZSPIRE ADVANTAGE<\/p>\n Tezspire is a monoclonal antibody that works early in the inflammation cascade by blocking a protein known as TSLP, which \u200bcan trigger inflammation in conditions \u200bdriven by eosinophils, a \u2060type of white blood cell, as well as severe asthma.<\/p>\n The trial\u2019s primary investigator, Arjan Bredenoord told Reuters that Tezspire\u2019s four-week dosing interval gives the drug an advantage \u200bover all existing therapies.<\/p>\n Existing treatments include medicines that target different proteins, but may \u200bnot be as \u2060effective in treating epithelial-driven inflammatory diseases, AstraZeneca said.<\/p>\n Eosinophilicesophagitis patients are also given topical steroids and drugs that reduce stomach acid production and are often accompanied with dietary restrictions. Patients were allowed to remain on these background medications \u2060in the \u200btrial.<\/p>\n Tezspire is already approved in a number of countries as an \u200badd-on treatment for severe asthma and competes with Sanofi and Regeneron\u2019s blockbuster drug Dupixent.<\/p>\n It generated $1.13 billion in sales for AstraZeneca and $1.48 billion \u200bfor Amgen in 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n