Bristol Myers Squibb is sharing its phase 2 results at the European Respiratory Society 2023 international congress this week.
Bristol Myers Squibbore common form of pulmonary fibrosis in May, Bristol Myers Squibb’s lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPA1) antagonist has turned out positive results in a rarer incarnation of the disease. The clinical win ups the pressure on a pair of entrenched blockbusters in interstitial lung disease—Roche’s Esbriet and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Ofev. Notably, 38% of patients in the study received a background antifibrotic therapy like Roche’s pirfenidone, also known as Esbriet, or Boehringer’s nintedanib, which goes by the commercial moniker Ofev.
BMS-986278fibrosis occurs when the lung pulmonary fibrosisaged and scarred. The disease is characterized by shortness of breath, coughing and fatigue. PPF is less common than its sibling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), though PPF has shown a similar prognosis to IPF. Both diseases are fatal, with a median survival time of three to five years and a five-year survival rate of roughly 45%, BMS said in a press release. Things didn’t go as smoothly for the lower IPFe of PPF drug, which only charted a 42% relative reduction in forced vital capacity versus placebo. However, BMS noted that across doses, treatment was consistent with or without background antifibrotics like Esbriet and Ofev.
BMS-986278’s safety profile was generally well tolerated in both treatment arms, BMS said. Side effect rates Esbriet par Ofev the dummy drug, and discontinuation rates were low, the company added. BMS-986278cebo and both doses of the drug, the most common side effects reported were diarrhea, COVID-19, cough and difficult or labored breathing. The PPF win comes several months after BMS posted positive phase 2 results on its drugdiarrheateCOVID-19cough In May, the company reported that a 60-mg dose of BMS-986278 reduced the rate of decline 62% on a meIPFre of ppFVC. The company found that the 30-mg dose was not effective on the same measure. Given that phase 2 success, BMS plans to begin worBMS-986278se 3 program, the company’s chief medical officer Samit Hirawat, M.D., said earlier this year. On top of Monday’s PPF win, BMS said its drug will now be assessed in the phase 3 ALOFT (An LPA1 antagonist for pulmonary Fibrosis Trial) program. Both Roche’s and Boehringer’s entrenched antifibrotics have ginned up blockbuster sales over the years.LPA1pulmonary Fibrosis In 20Rochefev broBoehringerfull-year sales of 3.2 billion euros (about $3.4 billion). Esbriet, for its part, started to suffer from the entry of generics in last year’s second quarter, Roche said in a recent earnings release. The drug posted (PDF) full-year 2022 sales of 718 million Swiss francs (roughly $805 million). Ofev is patent protected until 2029.