AstraZeneca Unveils Expansive Respiratory Portfolio and Pioneering Clinical Data at ATS 2025 to Advance Care Across Asthma, COPD, and Inflammatory Lung Diseases
AstraZeneca is poised to make a significant impact at the 2025 American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference in San Francisco, California, taking place from May 16–21. The global biopharmaceutical leader will present a robust collection of over 75 scientific abstracts—eight of which are late-breaking—spanning its comprehensive respiratory portfolio. These presentations will spotlight innovations in inhaled therapies, biologics, and early-stage science, reinforcing AstraZeneca’s commitment to transforming care for chronic respiratory diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), and other inflammatory lung conditions.
Meeting the Moment in Respiratory Medicine
Respiratory diseases remain a global health challenge, with asthma and COPD affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, COPD has become the third leading cause of death globally. AstraZeneca is tackling these staggering statistics with what it describes as a “bold ambition to transform respiratory care.”
Ruud Dobber, Executive Vice President and President of the BioPharmaceuticals Business Unit at AstraZeneca, emphasized the urgency and significance of the Company’s work:
“With asthma and COPD affecting hundreds of millions of people – and COPD now the third leading cause of death worldwide – our portfolio of inhaled and biologic medicines is central to achieving our bold ambition to transform respiratory care. The data we’re presenting at ATS focus on important gaps in care today, including improving the treatment approach to asthma rescue medication, reducing cardiopulmonary risk in COPD and targeting the underlying mechanisms that drive a broad range of inflammatory diseases.”
Sharon Barr, Executive Vice President of BioPharmaceuticals R&D, added that the Company’s focus is increasingly turning from symptom control to modifying disease progression—and potentially even achieving remission or cure:
“Today, far too many patients with asthma remain uncontrolled in their disease. Our data at ATS demonstrate progress we’ve made in advancing innovative treatments, moving beyond symptom control into disease modification, remission and one day, potentially a cure.”
Inhaled Therapies: Reinventing the Standard of Care in Asthma and COPD
AstraZeneca’s inhaled portfolio is a cornerstone of its respiratory strategy. Among the highlights is Airsupra (albuterol/budesonide), an anti-inflammatory rescue inhaler that is gaining traction as a preferred rescue treatment option for patients across the asthma severity spectrum. Airsupra is particularly relevant in light of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines, which emphasize reducing reliance on albuterol-only rescue medication.
Data from the BATURA Phase IIIb trial, a prespecified analysis, explores the ability of as-needed Airsupra to reduce cumulative exposure to systemic corticosteroids in people with mild asthma compared to albuterol alone. Complementing this is a post-hoc analysis from the MANDALA Phase III study, which investigates time-to-first severe exacerbation and annualized exacerbation rates in the three months following treatment initiation. In addition, the GRANITE study provides real-world insight into the characteristics of early Airsupra users in the United States.
In COPD, AstraZeneca’s triple combination inhaler Breztri Aerosphere (budesonide/glycopyrrolate/formoterol fumarate) is at the forefront of the Company’s efforts to address cardiopulmonary complications and asthma-COPD overlap (ACO). A post-hoc analysis from the ETHOS Phase III trial explores the number needed to treat (NNT) for various cardiopulmonary outcomes when comparing Breztri with dual therapy regimens involving long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMAs) and long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs).
New real-world data from the MITOS EROS+CP studies explore how the timing of Breztri initiation post-exacerbation affects long-term outcomes. These data indicate that prompt initiation may significantly reduce subsequent exacerbations and cardiopulmonary events, especially in patients with overlapping COPD and asthma diagnoses. In addition, a functional respiratory imaging (FRI) study offers novel insights into how Breztri deposits in the lungs of ACO patients with persistent airflow limitation—marking the first such imaging analysis of its kind.
Biologics Portfolio: Targeting Root Causes of Inflammation
AstraZeneca’s biologics pipeline also features prominently at ATS 2025, particularly with Fasenra (benralizumab) and Tezspire (tezepelumab), two therapies designed to address the underlying mechanisms of eosinophilic and epithelial-driven inflammation.
For Fasenra, the MANDARA open-label extension will reveal two-year efficacy and safety data in treating EGPA, including remission rates and the effect of switching from mepolizumab to Fasenra. Importantly, the study will also assess the potential for oral corticosteroid (OCS) reduction. Additional modeling work will compare eosinophil depletion with Fasenra to that achieved with depemokimab, using pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) simulations. Meanwhile, retrospective data from the ZEPHYR-5 study will assess Fasenra’s impact on COPD exacerbation rates in patients who also have asthma.
Tezspire, developed in collaboration with Amgen, targets thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a cytokine implicated in a variety of inflammatory diseases. The WAYFINDER Phase IIIb study evaluates Tezspire’s ability to reduce OCS use in OCS-dependent severe asthma patients. In a related sub-analysis from the WAYPOINT trial, the drug’s efficacy and safety will be assessed in patients with severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps—both with and without co-morbid asthma.
Perhaps most notably, AstraZeneca will unveil data from the COURSE Phase IIa proof-of-concept trial, investigating Tezspire in patients with moderate to very severe COPD regardless of eosinophil counts, smoking history, or presence of emphysema or chronic bronchitis. This positions Tezspire as a potentially broad-acting therapy for a population that has long lacked targeted treatment options.
Early Science and Future Therapies: From IL-33 Blockade to Machine Learning
In addition to its mature portfolio, AstraZeneca is showcasing forward-looking science and early-stage assets at ATS 2025. One promising investigational drug is tozorakimab, an IL-33 inhibitor being evaluated in the FRONTIER Phase II program across multiple respiratory diseases, including asthma and COPD. Four studies from this program will provide insights into the safety profile of the molecule.
AstraZeneca will also share retrospective analyses addressing COPD patient subpopulations. One cohort study explores exacerbation outcomes stratified by smoking status in patients on triple therapy, while another evaluates medication use among patients hospitalized for severe viral lower respiratory tract infections (LRTD), segmented by viral cause and clinical severity.
Further pushing the boundaries of respiratory science, AstraZeneca is embracing advanced analytics and AI. The GREAT-2 Phase II trial will present efficacy and safety data on gremubamab (MEDI3902), a bispecific antibody being tested in bronchiectasis patients colonized by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Preclinical data on AZD6793, an IRAK4 inhibitor, will offer insights into its potential to modulate disease pathways in COPD.
Finally, a series of deep learning-based studies will explore predictive modeling in respiratory diseases such as COPD and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). These machine learning approaches aim to forecast disease progression and identify high-risk patients, enabling more personalized and proactive care.
A Commitment to Transforming Respiratory Outcomes
The breadth and depth of data AstraZeneca is presenting at ATS 2025 reflect its leadership in respiratory medicine and its strategic focus on improving outcomes across disease severity, treatment stages, and patient phenotypes. From rethinking asthma rescue therapy with Airsupra to exploring remission in EGPA with Fasenra, and from AI-driven insights in IPF to innovative therapies like Tezspire and tozorakimab, AstraZeneca continues to push the boundaries of science to address unmet needs in respiratory care.
With this expansive showcase, AstraZeneca underscores its long-term commitment to a future where asthma, COPD, and related inflammatory diseases are not just managed—but potentially prevented or cured.
