Biotech company Roche had ambitions to release a new drug into the emerging market for asthma drugs that were denied on Monday after its study of the drug lebrikizumab failed to pass one of two identical studies.
According to Reuters, pharmaceutical and biotech companies believe there is a severe dearth of asthma medications and drug making companies are trying to fill that need. However, there have been complication.
Swiss drugmaker Roche said that while their study of a new drug, lebrikizumab, was in the final-stage of its Phase III study, the drug was able to pass the first of two identical tests. The first test showed the drug to be highly effective, significantly reducing exacerbations in sufferers of asthma.
During the second test, however, the new asthma drug did not prove as effective.
“These data require further interpretation and analyses are ongoing to better understand the results and determine next steps,” said Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development Sandra Horning in a statement.
Lebrikizumab is administered via injection and is designed to compete in an emerging market of severe asthma treatments. As analysts expect this market to be quite crowded, Roche cannot afford to waste any time getting the drug to market if they expect it to make a splash.
Though they’ve suffered a setback with their asthma medication, Roche received some good news on Friday when U.S. regulators approved its drug Gazyva. Not an asthma medication, Gazyva is designed to aid people with previously treated follicular lymphoma.