(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for a treatment from Verona Pharma for a chronic lung disease that commonly affects smokers, the U.K.-based company said on Wednesday.
The U.S. FDA’s assent for the therapy, to be sold under the brand Ohtuvayre, is the company’s first and provides a new inhaled non-steroidal treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
COPD, a lifelong condition which causes restricted airflow and breathing problems, commonly affects cigarette smokers and is also known as “smoker’s lungs”.
It affects around 16 million Americans and is the sixth leading cause of death in the country, according to government data.
(Reporting by Pratik Jain and Sruthi Narasimha Chari in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Leroy Leo and Nathan Gomes; Editing by Pooja Desai)
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