Boehringer Ingelheim has announced the registration of the phase 3 AIRWARD trial evaluating its investigational oral therapy verducatib as a treatment option targeting DPP1 in adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

The trial will evaluate verducatib, an investigational dipeptidyl peptidase 1 (DPP1) inhibitor, in adults who continue to experience exacerbations, despite treatment with their usual therapy, and have a blood eosinophil count below 300 cells/µL.

Dr MeiLan K Han, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Michigan Health, and Principal Investigator for the AIRWARD trial, said, “The AIRWARD trial marks a significant development in efforts to address one of the major challenges in lung health: disease driven predominantly by neutrophils, a reality affecting approximately 60 to 90 percent of people with COPD. There remains an unmet need for therapies that target underlying drivers of the disease. The AIRWARD trial gives us an important opportunity to explore an approach that could help change the future treatment of COPD.”

In many people with COPD, chronic exposure to irritants triggers persistent and self-perpetuating neutrophil-driven inflammation in the lungs. AIRWARD will evaluate whether verducatib can reduce the frequency and severity of exacerbations in patients with COPD despite treatment with their usual therapy.

Shashank Deshpande, Chairman, Board of Managing Directors, and Head, Human Pharma, said, “COPD is one of the world's most significant health challenges. Today, far too many patients remain underserved as frequent flare-ups drive reduced quality of life and lead to hospitalisations that place a significant burden on healthcare systems. With AIRWARD, we are broadening our verducatib program to explore its potential in COPD, reflecting our commitment to addressing the high unmet need in numerous lung diseases, and our broader pursuit of advancing lung health. But innovation alone is not enough: lungs can't wait. Policymakers, healthcare systems and industry need to work together to make lung health a higher priority through earlier diagnosis, better care pathways and faster access.”