Tezspire improves symptoms and histologic remission in Phase III eosinophilic esophagitis trial

AstraZeneca and Amgen have reported positive Phase III results showing that Tezspire, also known as tezepelumab, significantly improved histologic remission and swallowing symptoms in adolescents and adults with eosinophilic esophagitis.

The findings come from the CROSSING study and were presented in a late-breaking oral session at United European Gastroenterology Week 2026 in Barcelona.

Tezspire met both co-primary endpoints at week 24 across the two evaluated doses.

Histologic remission was achieved by 64.8% of patients receiving the 210 mg dose and 68.9% of those receiving 420 mg, compared with 3.5% of patients receiving placebo.

Both differences were statistically significant.

Tezspire also improved the frequency and severity of dysphagia.

At week 24, the Dysphagia Symptom Questionnaire score improved by 18.8 points from baseline with the 210 mg dose and by 22.0 points with the 420 mg dose.

The placebo group recorded an improvement of 14.7 points.

Benefits were maintained through week 52.

Histologic remission at one year was achieved by 67.8% of patients receiving Tezspire 210 mg and 63.3% receiving 420 mg, compared with 5.4% of those receiving placebo.

Dysphagia improvements were also sustained, with mean reductions from baseline of 22.1 points and 24.0 points in the Tezspire groups compared with 13.2 points with placebo.

The study also showed significant improvements in endoscopic measures of disease.

At week 52, complete endoscopic remission, defined as no visible features of eosinophilic esophagitis, was achieved by 34.4% of patients receiving the 210 mg dose and 29.5% receiving the 420 mg dose.

This compared with 4.1% of patients receiving placebo.

Evan Dellon, MD, Professor of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and U.S. principal investigator in CROSSING, said the findings demonstrate improvements across several important treatment goals in eosinophilic esophagitis.

He said the results suggest that once-every-four-week tezepelumab could offer a potential new option for patients dealing with persistent symptoms and difficulty swallowing.

Arjan Bredenoord, MD, Gastroenterologist and Professor at Amsterdam University Medical Center and international coordinating investigator in the trial, said the sustained improvements across symptoms, histology and endoscopy were particularly notable.

Patients in the study were allowed to continue stable background treatment, including proton pump inhibitors and swallowed topical corticosteroids.

The safety profile of Tezspire was consistent with its currently approved indications.

The most frequently reported adverse events in CROSSING were nasopharyngitis, headache and diarrhoea.

Tezspire is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits thymic stromal lymphopoietin, or TSLP, an epithelial cytokine involved in multiple inflammatory pathways.

The medicine is already approved for severe asthma in more than 70 countries and for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps in several major markets.

AstraZeneca said the CROSSING findings will be shared with regulatory authorities as it seeks to expand the use of Tezspire into eosinophilic esophagitis.

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Related Topics and Keywords

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