Sosei Group Corporation ("Sosei"; TSE Mothers Index: 4565) confirms the information released today by Novartis that the European Commission has approved Seebri® Breezhaler® (glycopyrronium bromide) 44 mcg delivered dose (equivalent to 50 mcg glycopyrronium measured dose per capsule), as a once-daily inhaled maintenance bronchodilator treatment to relieve symptoms in adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This approval triggers a $10m milestone payment to Sosei.
The European Commission approved Seebri® Breezhaler® based on data from the Novartis Phase III GLOW trials which demonstrated the safety and efficacy of glycopyrronium 44 mcg and involved 1,996 COPD patients who required maintenance treatment from around the world, with many in EU countries.
The GLOW trials showed that glycopyrronium, when compared to placebo, significantly improved lung function over the first four hours after morning dosing and that this benefit was sustained for 24 hours over a 52-week period. Patients on glycopyrronium demonstrated improved lung function, reduced shortness of breath, reduced exacerbations, reduced use of rescue medication, improved quality of life and improved exercise tolerance compared to placebo.
GLOW1 was a 26-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The study demonstrated the clinically significant superiority of glycopyrronium versus placebo for lung function improvements at 12 weeks (primary endpoint) measured by trough FEV1 (p<0.01).
GLOW2 demonstrated a similar magnitude of effect and also showed that glycopyrronium was similar to open-label (OL) tiotropium over 52 weeks measured by improvements in trough FEV1 compared to placebo. In addition to demonstrating benefits in terms of lung function, glycopyrronium exhibited a rapid onset of action within five minutes at first dose and reduced exacerbations. Significant benefits in both breathlessness and health-related quality of life (HRQL), as measured by the Transition Dyspnea Index (TDI) and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) compared to placebo, were also demonstrated. GLOW2 was a 52-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with OL tiotropium 18 mcg as an active exploratory arm.
The GLOW3 study showed that after glycopyrronium was administered in the morning, patients experienced improved exercise tolerance from the first dose onward. Overall, patients treated with glycopyrronium experienced a significant 21% improvement in exercise endurance versus placebo at the end of the study (day 21), with a significant 10% increase from day one (both p<0.001). In all studies, glycopyrronium was shown to have an overall safety profile similar to placebo.
CEO of Sosei, Shinichi Tamura commented:
"We are delighted with the EU approval of Seebri Breezhaler which marks an important milestone in the evolution of the Sosei business.
The latest Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines recommend long-acting muscarinic antagonists as first-line therapy for a broad range of COPD patients with moderate to very severe symptoms. Seebri Breezhaler will provide an important once-daily treatment option for this serious disease".
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