Top-line data from Verona Pharma's phase 2b clinical study of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment showed a large and sustained improvement in lung function, showing the drug holds potential to be a new complementary treatment.
Patients showed clinically and statistically significant improvements in lung function at all dose levels in the four-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Clinically relevant secondary endpoints were also met, including statistically significant, progressive improvements in COPD symptoms.

The drug, currently known as RPL554, is designed to be used as a maintenance treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and showed clinically and statistically significant improvements in patient's peak forced expiratory volume at all time points. The drug is a first-in-class, inhaled, dual inhibitor of phosphodiesterase three and four with bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory properties.

Verona, which is dual listed on London's AIM and New York's Nasdaq, has been carrying out the trials to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and dose-response of nebulized RPL554 administered twice-daily as a maintenance treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Dave Singh, professor of clinical pharmacology and respiratory medicine at the University of Manchester, said, "The results from this relatively large and well-designed study are very encouraging and clinically meaningful.

"The large and sustained improvement in lung function and reduction in COPD symptoms, including reduction in breathlessness, are particularly noteworthy. When coupled with the drug's unique mechanism of action, these data underline the potential for RPL554 as a new complementary treatment for patients with this progressive and debilitating disease, where there remains a high unmet medical need."

Verona's chief executive Jan-Anders Karlsson"These results are very encouraging and strongly support the progression of RPL554 into later stage development as an inhaled treatment for COPD patients", added , .

"The future clinical development and the positioning of this novel treatment will be informed by these data as well as by the outcome of the clinical study as an add-on to established combination therapies planned to start this year, and our ongoing market research," Karlsson concluded.

As of 1340 GMT, shares had surged 19.20% to 178.80p.

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