Upstream Bio doses first patient in Phase 2 trial of verekitug in COPD

Upstream Bio (UPB) announced that the first patient has been dosed in the company’s Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating verekitug in patients with COPD, broadening the global development program for verekitug into a third indication. Verekitug is a novel antibody antagonist of the Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin receptor, a key driver of the inflammatory response in allergic and inflammatory diseases such as asthma, where agents targeting TSLP have demonstrated clinical benefits. The primary endpoint of the study is the annualized rate of moderate or severe COPD exacerbations. Secondary endpoints include changes in participants’ day-to-day symptoms as well as measures of lung function, such as forced expiratory volume in one second. Upstream Bio has designed this trial using endpoints that, pending interactions with regulatory authorities, could produce data to support submissions for product approval. Upstream Bio completed enrollment in the Phase 2 trials in CRSwNP in January 2025 and in severe asthma in June 2025 and expects top-line data readouts in the third quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, respectively.