Teva suffers setback on in-house asthma program as a PhII study is halted early due to futility
Although Teva largely makes its money these days through generic drug sales, the company continues to develop a suite of asthma medicines and inhalers for its in-house R&D efforts. But one such candidate has apparently hit a speed bump.
According to a Monday update posted on clinicaltrials.gov, Teva terminated a Phase II asthma study early due to futility following an interim analysis. The trial had been looking to evaluate the program known as TEV-48574 in 65 adults over 16 weeks, regardless if their severe asthma is triggered by allergens.
Endpoints News has reached out to Teva to confirm, and will update this story accordingly.
The program is no longer listed as in development on Teva’s website for asthma, but it still remains in a Phase II study for inflammatory bowel disease. Teva is also developing another respiratory program that is still in Phase II as well.
It’s not yet clear how the setback will affect the company’s R&D pipeline, given much of its focus remains on biosimilars. Teva has been the central defendant in several lawsuits stemming from its work trying to develop a generic version of AbbVie’s Humira, with the complaints usually coming from the rival drugmaker alleging patent infringement.
Teva has also drawn considerable ire for its role in the opioid epidemic alongside other Big Pharma companies like Purdue Pharma and J&J. Settlement talks remain ongoing, with Teva CEO Kåre Schultz noting last month that the company is hopeful it can come to a national resolution within a year.
The company has made some progress at the state level, however, agreeing on Monday to a settlement with Rhode Island for $100 million. The state agreed to dismiss all outstanding claims against Teva in exchange for $21 million in cash payments over the next 13 years and $78.5 million worth of generic Narcan spray and Suboxone in the next decade.
Teva had previously settled claims against other states, including Texas and Louisiana. Both included settlement structures similar to the Rhode Island case.
