Pharmaceutical Technology

GSK expands Asia-Pacific reach for Trelegy Ellipta with Singapore approval

GSK’s Trelegy Ellipta has been approved as a maintenance therapy for both asthma and COPD in Singapore.

Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has expanded the label of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)’s Trelegy Ellipta (fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol) to include its use as a maintenance therapy for adults with asthma.

The Singapore agency also approved a new dosage strength for the inhaled therapy in asthma. In 2019, HSA approved Trelegy Ellipta as a maintenance therapy for relieving moderate to severe exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Trelegy Ellipta is approved as a maintenance treatment for COPD in multiple regions including the US, Europe and China. However, the drug has also been approved for treating asthma in a few countries such as the US.

Trelegy Ellipta pulled in £2.2bn ($2.8bn) in global sales for GSK in 2023, as per the company’s financials. The drug sales are expected to rise, with Trelegy Ellipta expected to generate approximately $3.8bn in global sales in 2027, according to a GlobalData analysis.

GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology.

Last month, GSK announced plans to cap out-of-pocket costs for eligible patients at $35 per month for its COPD and asthma medications in light of the rising drug prices in the US. Trelegy Ellipta is one of the drugs included in GSK’s programme, which will be implemented across the country no later than 1 January 2025.

Another therapy looking to target both asthma and COPD populations is Amgen and AstraZeneca’s Tezspire (tezepelumab-ekko). The monoclonal antibody has been approved for treating severe asthma in multiple countries including the US. The companies are evaluating the therapy in patients with moderate to severe COPD in a placebo-controlled Phase II trial (NCT04039113). Data from the trial is expected in H1 this year.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi are also seeking approval for their monoclonal antibody, Dupixent (dupilumab) as a maintenance therapy for COPD. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set a target action date of 27 June for an approval decision. Dupixent is approved for treating atopic dermatitis, asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis, eosinophilic esophagitis and prurigo nodularis.