AstraZeneca halts bowel disease drug program
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AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) announced Thursday its decision to discontinue the bowel disease drug program targeted at the investigational therapy brazikumab.
The monoclonal antibody was under investigation in Phase IIb/III and Phase II trials for inflammatory bowel disorders Crohnâs disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), respectively, alongside their respective open-label extension trials.

The decision to drop the program follows a review of the development timeline and the evolving competition for drugs targeted at inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), AstraZeneca (AZN) said, adding that the âtimeline was impacted by delays that could not be mitigated following global events.â
The company also noted that there were no safety concerns in brazikumab trials. The anti-IL-23 monoclonal antibody was expected to reach the market in 2025.
AstraZeneca (AZN) acquired full rights to brazikumab when Allergan and AbbVie (ABBV) divested the candidate as part of a $63B buyout deal in 2020.


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