Circassia gets dual boost for US COPD drugs

UK biotech Circassia has had two key decisions go in its favour with FDA, as the company continues with its efforts to rebuild its business after a series of disastrous allergy drug trial failures. However the success means Circassia is looking for ways to pay a series of fees due to AstraZeneca as part of a licensing deal. Circassia gave up on developing a series of drugs for cat, house dust mite, grass, and rag weed allergies after a series of trial flops earlier in the decade. The former darling of UK biotech had raised £200 million with an initial public offering (IPO) to develop the allergy drugs, but switched to a back-up plan by picking up US rights for two unwanted respiratory drugs from AstraZeneca in a deal signed two years ago. Tudorza and Duaklir are inhaled respiratory drugs for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – and at the time of the deal Tudorza (aclidinium bromide), a long-acting muscarinic agonist (LAMA) was already launched in the US and gained approval from the FDA in 2012.