GSK, Theravance say lung drug Breo fails to extend lifespan

9 September 2015

Shares of Theravance (Nasdaq: THRX) closed down over 14% overnight on the Nasdaq stock exchange after the company said its inhaled medicine Breo (fluticasone/ vilanterol) failed to extend life of patients with chronic respiratory disease in a clinical trial involving 16, 485 people.

UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) in a joint statement with its US partner, Theravance, said while the drug reduced the risk mortality by 12.2% versus the placebo, it wasn’t a significant difference.

The drug was unable to demonstrate a statistically significant survival benefit in this population, said Michael Aguiar, chief executive of Theravance.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK