AstraZeneca drug succeeds in trial for swallowing disorder

Health Pharma & Biotech Written by: Ian Lyall 08:18 Thu 27 Aug 2026 --> Disclaimer No investment advice About this content Editorial Standards & Policies Share article About this content × About Ian Lyall Ian Lyall, a seasoned journalist and editor, brings over three decades of experience to his role as Managing Editor at Proactive. Overseeing Proactive's editorial and broadcast operations across six offices on three continents, Ian is responsible for quality control, editorial policy, and content production. He directs the creation of 50,000 pieces of real-time news, feature articles, and filmed interviews annually. Prior to Proactive, Ian helped lead the business output at the Daily... Read more About the publisher Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists. Proactive news team spans the world’s key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth. We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors. The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies. Use of technology Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter. Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows. Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation. AstraZeneca PLC ( LSE:AZN NASDAQ:AZN ) View Price & Profile AstraZeneca drug succeeds in trial for swallowing disorder Published: 08:18 27 Aug 2026 BST AstraZeneca PLC (LSE:AZN, NASDAQ:AZN) said its drug Tezspire worked in a late-stage trial of patients with eosinophilic esophagitis, a chronic condition that inflames the gullet and makes swallowing difficult. The drug, developed with the American biotech company Amgen, hit both of its main goals and every important secondary one. The trial, called CROSSING, involved 368 patients aged between 12 and 80 who were still suffering symptoms despite existing treatment. They were given either a low dose of Tezspire, a high dose, or a placebo, injected under the skin every four weeks. Both doses reduced inflammation in the gullet and eased difficulty swallowing compared with the placebo at 24 weeks, and the benefit lasted through to 52 weeks. AstraZeneca said side effects were broadly in line with what has already been seen in approved uses of the drug. The company has not yet released the underlying numbers, which will be presented at a medical conference and given to regulators. The condition affects more than 470,000 people in the United States, and cases have risen fivefold since 2009. Almost half of patients do not get adequate relief from current first-line options, which include steroids, acid-suppressing drugs and restricted diets. Left untreated, it can cause food to become stuck in the gullet, sometimes requiring emergency treatment. Tezspire is already approved for severe asthma in more than 70 countries and for a form of chronic sinus disease in the United States, Europe, China and Japan. It works by blocking a protein released by the lining of the airways and gut that triggers inflammation. More than 100,000 patients have been treated with it since 2021. Continue reading