After nebulizer flop, Verona touts interim PhII results on another version of its lead COPD drug
Chalk up a much-needed — if preliminary — win for Verona Pharma in its multi-pronged effort to tackle COPD.
The London-based respiratory drug developer is reporting that interim results from the first part of its Phase II trial — showing that its dry powder inhaler formulation of ensifentrine helped patients improve lung function — look promising enough to go ahead with part 2.
In the trial, 37 patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were divided into six groups: a placebo arm, and five ensifentrine cohorts each receiving one out of five different dosage strengths of the drug: 150 µg, 500 µg, 1500 µg, 3000 µg, or 6000 µg. Tracking their responses to a single dose, investigators found peak forced expiratory volume in one second — or FEV1, a common measure of lung function — “increased from baseline in a dose-dependent manner (ranging from 68 mL to 333 mL, p<0.05 doses 1500 µg and above).”
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