AstraZeneca enters option agreement with Kyowa Hakko Kirin for commercialisation of benralizumab in Japan
16 July 2015 AstraZeneca today announced that it has entered an agreement with Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. Ltd. (Kyowa Hakko Kirin) for an exclusive option to commercialise benralizumab for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Japan. Benralizumab is a monoclonal antibody in Phase III development for the treatment of severe uncontrolled asthma and COPD. It targets the IL-5 receptor and depletes eosinophils, which play a key role in inflammatory respiratory disease. The global Phase III results for benralizumab in severe asthma are expected to read out in 2016, with