LONDON, July 2 (Reuters) - An experimental antibody drugfrom Roche has produced promising results in mid-stagetests for asthma, offering a new way to fight the breathingdisorder.
The encouraging response seen with quilizumab, which theSwiss group is developing as a treatment for moderate-to-severeasthma, underscores the growing focus on novel biotech medicinesfor hard-to-treat cases of the disease.
Other companies working on a variety of approaches usingbiotech medicines to fight the condition include AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi. Analystsat Leerink said in March that sales of biotech asthma drugscould exceed $7.5 billion a year in the United States and Europealone.
Roche already sells one biotech asthma drug in partnershipwith Novartis, called Xolair, which works byintercepting an inflammatory protein called immunoglobulin typeE (IgE) linked to asthma.
Quilizumab also targets IgE but it does so in a differentway. By focusing on a form of IgE found on the surface ofcertain cells, it inhibits the production of new IgE molecules.
Xolair, by contrast, does not affect production of theprotein, so patients need regular doses to keep IgE levels atbay.
Researchers reported results from a Phase IIa clinical studywith quilizumab in the journal Science Translational Medicine onWednesday, showing it reduced airway constriction and preventedIgE production within four weeks of a single dose. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler, editing by David Evans)