ZURICH (Reuters) - Novartis's QAB149 significantly improved lung function when compared with two other approved respiratory disease medicines in late stage clinical trials, the Swiss drugmaker said Thursday.
All doses of once-daily QAB149 met their main target in Phase III trials for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, Novartis said in a statement.
The drug is currently being reviewed for approval in the European Union and the United States and Trevor Mundel, head of development at Novartis Pharma, believes it will be on the market next year and could be a big seller.
"I think QAB becomes a very substantial opportunity," Mundel told Reuters. "I think heading towards a blockbuster."
The medicine showed significant improvements over bronchodilators formoterol and tiotropium and significantly improved lung function from the first day of therapy to up to one year of treatment, Novartis said.
Formoterol is marketed under various trade names by companies including Novartis, Schering-Plow, and AstraZeneca. Tiotropium is the generic name for Spiriva, marketed by Pfizer and Boehringer Ingelheim.
COPD is a debilitating and progressive respiratory disease that affects 210 million people worldwide, according to Novartis.
It is commonly caused by cigarette smoke and other harmful fumes and is characterised by a persistent obstruction of airflow in the lungs which results in breathlessness.
(Reporting by Sam Cage; editing by Simon Jessop)