Verona Adds Two Board Members

Deal Snapshot: The addition of Hengrui's HRS-9821, a China-originated fast-follower of Verona’s Ohtuvayre in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, should enable GSK’s COPD therapy portfolio to stack up well against increasing competitors in the indication, including biologics and small molecules.

The privately held German pharma firm is hoping to bring a new generation of pulmonary fibrosis and cancer drugs to market but their commercial success is not yet a certainty.

The Phase III failure could dent Roche’s hopes of entering the COPD market with its novel therapy, despite its success in a large Phase IIb trial. It also marks another disappointment for the anti-IL33/ST2 approach.

Looking to improve on the efficacy and safety of Roche’s Esbriet and BI’s Ofev, Avalyn has inhalable formulations of those drugs in Phase IIb and Phase I, respectively.