AstraZeneca’s Tezspire (tezepelumab) has received a positive opinion from the European Medicine Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) for self-administration in a pre-filled, single-use pen for patients aged 12 years and older with severe asthma. The CHMP opinion can be implemented without the need for a European Commission decision due to the nature of the Type-II label variation.
The approval for self-administration was based on results from the PATHFINDER clinical trial programme, which included results from the PATH-BRIDGE Phase I trial and the PATH-HOME Phase III trial. The majority (92%) of healthcare providers, patients and caregivers were able to successfully administer Tezspire both in the clinic and at home throughout the PATH-HOME trial. The improvements in asthma control and the safety profile of Tezspire observed in the PATH-HOME trial were consistent with previous clinical trials. Tezspire is the only biologic approved for severe asthma with no phenotype (e.g. eosinophilic or allergic) or biomarker limitation within its approved label.
Professor Ian Pavord, professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Oxford and honorary consultant physician at the Oxford University Hospitals, said: “Severe asthma continues to have a debilitating impact for people living with the disease. I believe the approval of the Tezspire pre-filled pen will be welcome news for physicians and patients in Europe as it offers increased choice and greater flexibility when administering this important medicine.”
Mene Pangalos, executive vice president, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, said: “Tezspire is the first and only biologic approved in Europe for patients with severe asthma with no phenotype or biomarker limitation. With the approval of the Tezspirepre-filled pen, we can give patients in Europe greater flexibility and support physicians in treating a broad population of severe asthma patients.”
AstraZeneca anticipates a regulatory decision by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on self-administration and the new pre-filled pen in the first half of 2023. Tezspire is currently approved for the treatment of severe asthma in the US, EU, Japan and other countries.
