AstraZeneca and its partner Amgen Inc. (Amgen) announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for tezepelumab in patients with severe asthma, without an eosinophilic phenotype, who are receiving inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting beta2-agonists with or without oral corticosteroids and additional asthma controllers.

Circassia Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on respiratory disease, is pleased to announce that Aetna, one of the largest health insurance companies in the United States, has updated its Exhaled Breath Tests Clinical Policy to include the measurement of exhaled nitric oxide as “medically necessary” for the evaluation of asthma and for monitoring the response to long-term control therapy.