Sanofi's dual-action biotech asthma drug performs well in test

Nov 11 (Reuters) - An experimental biotech drug for severe asthma from France's Sanofi (NasdaqGM: GCVRZ - news) and its U.S. partner Regeneron has produced good results in clinical tests, suggesting its dual-action mechanism may be highly effective.

Dupilumab is a latecomer among a new class of antibody drugs for people whose asthma does not respond adequately to inhalers, but unlike rivals such as GlaxoSmithKline (Other OTC: GLAXF - news) 's mepolizumab it hits two targets at once.

In a mid-stage Phase IIb clinical study, dupilumab cut serious asthma attacks, known as exacerbations, by 64 to 75 percent. The Sanofi drug works by blocking two key inflammatory chemicals that drive asthma, known as IL-4 and IL-13.

Analysts believe that Sanofi's product could be launched in 2019, putting it well behind GSK's drug, which is leading the pack and has already filed for regulatory approval.

Nevertheless, Berenberg Bank analyst Alistair Campbell said that dupilumab could still be a commercial success, with potential annual sales of $1.5 billion by 2025, if the strong data in current tests were replicated in final-stage Phase III studies.

Other companies working on similar biotech asthma drugs include AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN - news) , Roche and Teva.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by David Goodman)