A new lung disease drug has passed clinical trial as a treatment for asthma, announced Theravance and GloxoSmithKline, the companies that developed the drug.
In a statement, the companies said that patients who took their newly developed drug, Breo Ellipta, experienced more significant improvement in lung function than patients who had been administered drug Flonase, which contains one of Breo Ellipta's two main components.
"Breo Ellipta is approved as a treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease," the statement reads.
The drug, however, comes with some side effects. Among them, the most common included headache, upper respiratory tract infection, and flu.
Breo Ellipta was launched in the U.S. on Oct. 30. The drug is also approved in Canada and Japan. In Japan it is sold as Relvar Ellipta.
The announcement boosted the shares of California-based Theravance Inc., which picked up 98 cents, or 2.8 percent, to $36.53 in late morning trading. GlaxoSmithKline PLC's U.S. shares climbed 30 cents to $52.52.
