FORM 6-K
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Report
of Foreign Issuer
Pursuant
to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the
month of June
2019
Commission
File Number: 001-11960
AstraZeneca PLC
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AstraZeneca PLC
INDEX
TO EXHIBITS
1.
Breztri
Aerosphere (PT010) approved in Japan for patients with chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease
19 June 2019 07:00 BST
Breztri
Aerosphere (PT010)
approved in Japan for
patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
First global approval and only triple-combination
therapy
in a pressurised metered-dose inhaler device in Japan
AstraZeneca today announced that Breztri Aerosphere (budesonide/glycopyrronium/ formoterol
fumarate), formerly PT010, has been approved in Japan as a
triple-combination therapy to relieve symptoms of chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
This is the first global regulatory approval
for Breztri
Aerosphere and is the
first approval by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and
Welfare for a triple-combination therapy in a pressurised
metered-dose inhaler (pMDI), which uses the
innovative Aerosphere delivery technology.
The approval was based on positive results from the Phase III
KRONOS trial in which Breztri
Aerosphere demonstrated a
statistically-significant improvement in trough forced expiratory
volume in one second (FEV1), the primary endpoint for Japan,
compared with the dual comparators Bevespi
Aerosphere (glycopyrronium/formoterol fumarate) and
PT009 (budesonide/formoterol fumarate).
Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals
R&D, said: "Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects more
than five million people in Japan, and Breztri
Aerosphere offers these
patients a new, powerful triple-combination therapy in a
pressurised metered-dose inhaler. This first approval
of Breztri
Aerosphere is a
significant step towards providing a new treatment choice to people
living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
globally."
Klaus Rabe, Professor of Pulmonary Medicine at the University of
Kiel, Director of the Department of Pneumology at Clinic
Grosshansdorf, Germany, and National Co-ordinating Investigator of
the KRONOS trial, said: "The KRONOS trial demonstrated
that Breztri
Aerosphere provides rapid
and sustained, clinically-relevant lung function improvements
in patients with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease. Triple-combination therapy is an increasingly
important treatment option and will play a central role in helping
patients manage their disease."
Data from the Phase III KRONOS trial has previously been published
in The
Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
The Chinese National Medical Products Administration has granted a
priority review to Breztri
Aerosphere, with an expected
regulatory decision in the second half of 2019. The medicine is
also under regulatory review in the US and EU with anticipated
regulatory decisions in 2020.
About Breztri Aerosphere
Breztri Aerosphere (budesonide/glycopyrronium/formoterol
fumarate), formerly known as PT010, is a single-inhaler, fixed-dose
triple combination of budesonide, an inhaled corticosteroid,
glycopyrronium, a long-acting muscarinic agonist, and formoterol
fumarate, a long-acting beta2-agonist.
Under the terms of the agreement to acquire Pearl Therapeutics
Inc., AstraZeneca anticipates making a $150m milestone payment upon
US regulatory approval of Breztri for COPD. This payment would be the final
development and regulatory milestone under that
agreement.
About KRONOS and the ATHENA clinical trial programme
KRONOS is a Phase III randomised, double-blinded, parallel-group,
24-week, chronic-dosing, multi-centre trial that assessed the
efficacy and safety of Breztri
Aerosphere. The trial
compared Breztri
Aerosphere with Bevespi
Aerosphere (glycopyrronium/formoterol fumarate
14.4/9.6mcg pMDI), Symbicort
Turbuhaler (budesonide/formoterol fumarate 400/12mcg)
and PT009 (budesonide/formoterol fumarate 320/9.6mcg)
using Aerosphere delivery technology in a pMDI. Patients were
given two inhalations twice a day of Breztri
Aerosphere, Bevespi
Aerosphere, Symbicort
Turbuhaler or PT009.
KRONOS involved approximately 1,900 patients with moderate to very
severe COPD.
In the trial, Breztri Aerosphere met six of seven primary endpoints versus
dual comparators and PT009 met two non-inferiority endpoints to
support the qualification of PT009 as an active comparator. As
published in The Lancet Respiratory
Medicine, in a key secondary
endpoint, Breztri Aerosphere showed a statistically-significant 52%
reduction in the rate of moderate or severe COPD exacerbations
compared with Bevespi
Aerosphere in a patient
population that was not required to have had an exacerbation in the
previous 12 months. Breztri
Aerosphere also
demonstrated reductions in the rate of moderate or severe COPD
exacerbations versus PT009 and Symbicort (18% and 17% respectively), which were
numerically but not statistically significant improvements. The
incidence of adjudicated pneumonia was low and comparable in all
treatment arms.1 The
primary and secondary endpoints and treatment comparisons in the
KRONOS trial differed according to regional regulatory
requirements.1
The Phase III ATHENA clinical trial programme
for Breztri
Aerosphere includes more
than 15,500 patients globally across 11 trials.1,2,3,4 The
four key trials are KRONOS, TELOS, SOPHOS and
ETHOS.1,2,3,4 The
Phase III ETHOS trial is the last trial in the programme and data
readout is anticipated in the second half of
2019.
About COPD
COPD is a progressive disease which can cause obstruction of
airflow in the lungs resulting in debilitating bouts of
breathlessness.5 It
affects an estimated 384 million people worldwide and is predicted
to be the third leading cause of death by 2020.5,6 Improving
lung function, reducing exacerbations and managing daily symptoms
such as breathlessness are important treatment goals in the
management of COPD.5
About AstraZeneca in respiratory disease
Respiratory is one of AstraZeneca's three therapy areas, and our
medicines reached more than 18 million patients as maintenance
therapy in 2018. AstraZeneca's aim is to transform asthma and COPD
treatment through inhaled combinations at the core of care,
biologics for the unmet needs of specific patient populations, and
scientific advancements in disease modification.
The Company is building on a 40-year heritage in respiratory
disease and AstraZeneca's capability in inhalation technology spans
pressurised metered-dose inhalers and dry powder inhalers, as well
as the Aerosphere delivery technology. The company also has a
growing portfolio of respiratory biologics
including Fasenra (anti-eosinophil, anti‒IL-5R alpha),
now approved for severe, eosinophilic asthma and in development for
severe nasal polyposis and other potential indications, and
tezepelumab (anti-TSLP), which has been granted Breakthrough
Therapy Designation by the US Food and Drug Administration in
patients with severe asthma and is in Phase III trials.
AstraZeneca's research aims at addressing underlying disease
drivers by focusing on the lung epithelium, lung immunity, lung
regeneration and neuronal functions.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that
focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of
prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of diseases in
three therapy areas - Oncology, Cardiovascular, Renal &
Metabolism and Respiratory. AstraZeneca operates in over 100
countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of
patients worldwide. For more information, please
visit astrazeneca.com and
follow us on Twitter@AstraZeneca.
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Adrian Kemp
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References
1. Ferguson GT, Rabe KF, Martinez FJ,
et al. Triple combination of budesonide/glycopyrrolate /formoterol
fumarate using co-suspension delivery technology versus dual
therapies in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (KRONOS): a
double-blind, parallel-group, randomised controlled
trial. Lancet Respir
Med.
2018;6(10):747-758.
2. Clinicaltrials.gov. Study to Assess
the Efficacy and Safety of PT010 Relative to PT003 and PT009 in
Subjects With Moderate to Very Severe COPD (ETHOS). [Online].
Available
at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02465567 Last
accessed: April 2019.
3. Clinicaltrials.gov. Study to Assess
Efficacy and Safety of PT009 Compared to PT005, PT008,
and Symbicort® Turbuhaler® on
Lung Function Over 24-Weeks in Subjects With Moderate to Very
Severe COPD (TELOS). [Online]. Available
at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02766608.
Last accessed: May 2019.
4. Clinicaltrials.gov. A Study to
Assess the Efficacy and Safety of PT009 Compared to PT005 on COPD
Exacerbations Over a 52-Week Period in Subjects With Moderate to
Very Severe COPD (SOPHOS). [Online]. Available
at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02727660.
Last accessed: May 2019.
5.
GOLD. Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management and Prevention
of COPD, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
(GOLD) 2018. [Online]. Available at: http://goldcopd.org. Last
accessed: May 2019.
6. Adeloye D, Chua S, Lee
C, et
al. Global Health
Epidemiology Reference Group (GHERG). Global and regional estimates
of COPD prevalence: Systematic review and
meta-analysis. J Glob
Health. 2015; 5 (2):
020415.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Date:
19 June
2019
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By: /s/
Adrian Kemp
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Name:
Adrian Kemp
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Title:
Company Secretary
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