By Carlo Martuscelli

AstraZeneca PLC (AZN.LN) said Wednesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted its respiratory medicine Fasenra orphan drug status for the treatment of eosinophilic oesophagitis.

The designation is given to drugs that are intended to treat rare diseases with a limited number of patients, and provides benefits such as market exclusivity and faster regulatory approvals.

Eosinophilic oesophagitis is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by an accumulation of white blood cells called eosinophils in the esophagus.

Executive Vice President Mene Pangalos said that there are currently no FDA-approved treatments for the disease.

"Because Fasenra depletes eosinophils in blood and tissue, it could become a potential new medicine to treat patients with this rare disease," said Mr. Pangalos, who works in the pharmaceutical company's biopharmaceuticals research department.

Write to Carlo Martuscelli at carlo.martuscelli@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 28, 2019 02:39 ET (06:39 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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