(Reuters) – Insmed said its experimental drug to treat a type of chronic lung disease helped significantly reduce respiratory symptoms such as chronic cough in a late-stage study, prompting its shares to double in premarket trading on Tuesday.
The drug candidate, brensocatib, is being developed to treat patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, a chronic lung condition where the walls of the airways are widened due to inflammation and infection.
Bronchiectasis affects about 450,000 patients in the United States, and causes symptoms including excessive sputum production, shortness of breath, and repeated respiratory infections, according to Insmed.
The company said it plans to file a marketing application for brensocatib with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the fourth quarter of this year, and it expects to launch the drug in mid-2025.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Shinjini Ganguli)
