Tezspire improves symptoms and tissue inflammation in phase 3 EoE trial

pharmafile.com | November 2, 2026 | News story | |  Gastrointestinal tract, clinical trial, drug delivery, gastrointestinal, inflammation 

AstraZeneca and Amgen’s Tezspire (tezepelumab) has demonstrated significant improvements in tissue inflammation and swallowing symptoms in patients with eosinophilic oesophagitis (EoE), with benefits sustained through 52 weeks in the phase 3 CROSSING trial.

The study involved adolescents and adults with symptomatic EoE whose disease remained uncontrolled. Patients received Tezspire at 210mg or 420mg every four weeks, or placebo, while being allowed to continue stable background treatment.

At week 24, histologic remission, indicating a reduction in inflammation seen in tissue samples, was achieved by 64.8% of patients receiving the 210mg dose and 68.9% receiving 420mg, compared with 3.5% on placebo.

Both doses also significantly improved dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, measured using the patient-reported Dysphagia Symptom Questionnaire. Improvements were sustained through week 52, when histologic remission rates were 67.8% and 63.3% for the respective doses, compared with 5.4% for placebo.

A key secondary endpoint also showed that around one-third of patients achieved total endoscopic remission at week 52, meaning no visible signs of EoE during examination of the oesophagus. This compared with 4.1% of those receiving placebo.

EoE is a chronic inflammatory condition in which eosinophils accumulate in the oesophagus, potentially causing difficulty swallowing, food becoming stuck and narrowing of the oesophagus. Current treatments include dietary restriction, swallowed topical corticosteroids and proton pump inhibitors.

Professor Evan Dellon, the trial’s US primary investigator, said the results suggested tezepelumab could offer a new treatment option addressing symptoms as well as underlying inflammation.

The results were presented at United European Gastroenterology Week 2026. AstraZeneca said it plans to share the data with regulatory authorities. Tezspire is already approved for severe asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps in several markets.

Pic: Aakash Dhage