GSK Cuts Six Respiratory Assets as It Continues to Focus on Oncology Treatments

GlaxoSmithKline has been in the midst of a significant reshaping to focus on pharmaceuticals, particularly a renewed interest in oncology treatments. As a result, the company has made some cuts to its pipeline, including six quietly announced this morning in the company’s year-end report.
In a slide-show of graphics used during a conference call with analysts and media members, the company revealed it had terminated eight programs, mostly in its respiratory line. In the small section marked “terminated,” GSK said it shed two treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, GSK1325756 (danirixin) and GSK2269557 (nemiralisib). It also cut GSK2245035, a TLR7 agonist used for treating asthma and the TRPV4 antagonist GSK2798745, under development for acute respiratory distress syndrome and cough. Additionally, the company cut the combination treatment of GSK2398852 + GSK2315698 (anti-SAP) in transthyretin cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) and GSK3008348, an aVb6 antagonist for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.