AstraZeneca PLC (LON:AZN) is to make a payment of US$150mln to the vendors of Pearl Therapeutics after COPD exacerbations treatment Breztri Aerosphere was approved in the US.
The UK pharma acquired Pearl in 2013 for US$560mln and up to a further US$565mln in milestone and sales-related payments.
Breztri Aerosphere, a triple-combination inhaled treatment, showed significant improvements over dual-combination therapies in the phase III KRONOS/ETHOS trials.
Fernando J Martinez, Chief of Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, US and Investigator in the ETHOS trial, said: "Preventing exacerbations is central to the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Even a single exacerbation can have a negative impact on a patient's lung function and quality of life, and it can increase the risk of death. Breztri Aerosphere has demonstrated significant benefits in reducing exacerbations in patients suffering from COPD."
Breztri Aerosphere is approved in Japan and China for patients with COPD and under regulatory review in the EU.
ETHOS and KRONOS are part of AstraZeneca's ATHENA Phase III clinical trial programme for Breztri Aerosphere, which included more than 15,500 patients globally across 11 trials.