Verekitug's Quarterly Dosing Cuts Asthma Burden, With Michael Wechsler, MD

Beyond its efficacy signal, verekitug's extended dosing interval may offer a meaningful quality of life advantage for patients with severe asthma, who often manage multiple injectable therapies. In the phase 2 VALIANT trial, presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress 2026, the every 12 week dosing arm delivered the strongest reduction in exacerbations among the 3 regimens tested.

"I think if you talk to patients, most patients would prefer to take a drug 4 times a year as opposed to 12 times a year or 13 times a year," Michael Wechsler, MD, MMSc, professor of medicine and director of the Cohen Family Asthma Institute at National Jewish Health, said in an interview with HCPLive.

Why Less Frequent Dosing Matters to Patients

Wechsler said the appeal of quarterly dosing goes beyond convenience. Reducing the frequency of injections may also ease the day to day burden of living with a chronic disease. "Every 3 months, it's a little bit out of mind, and they're not worrying about their disease. And who likes to get injections?" he said. Combined with the strongest exacerbation reduction seen in the 100 mg every 12 week arm, Wechsler said the dosing schedule adds a practical advantage on top of the efficacy findings.

Safety Profile Comparable to Placebo

VALIANT's safety results were consistent with the existing biologic landscape in asthma. Adverse events occurred in 65% of the placebo group compared with 58% to 62% across the 3 verekitug dose arms. Most adverse events, including nasopharyngitis, headache, and bronchitis, were mild, with no grade 3 or higher events reported. A high rate of anti-drug antibodies was observed but did not appear to affect safety or efficacy outcomes.

Looking Ahead in Type 2 Inflammatory Disease

Verekitug has also shown efficacy in the phase 2 VIBRANT trial in CRSwNP, and Upstream Bio has said it plans to advance the therapy into phase 3 trials in both severe asthma and CRSwNP. Wechsler pointed to the broader trajectory of the field, noting that 7 biologic therapies for type 2 inflammatory disease are now FDA approved, with more in development. "This is an exciting time to be seeing patients with asthma, seeing patients with COPD, and patients with type 2 inflammation," he said. "I'm looking forward to a time when we can actually achieve the ultimate goal in asthma management, that's a cure, getting people into remission and having a sustained remission."

Editor's Note: Wechsler reports relevant disclosures with Upstream Bio.

References

1. Upstream Bio Reports Positive Top-line Results from the Phase 2 VALIANT Trial of Verekitug for the Treatment of Severe Asthma. GlobeNewswire. February 11, 2026. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/02/11/3236073/0/en/Upstream-Bio-Reports-Positive-Top-line-Results-from-the-Phase-2-VALIANT-Trial-of-Verekitug-for-the-Treatment-of-Severe-Asthma.html

2. Upstream Bio Presents Results from the Phase 2 VALIANT Trial of Verekitug for the Treatment of Severe Asthma in Oral Presentation at ERS Congress 2026. GlobeNewswire. September 8, 2026. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/09/08/3357341/0/en/upstream-bio-presents-results-from-the-phase-2-valiant-trial-of-verekitug-for-the-treatment-of-severe-asthma-in-oral-presentation-at-ers-congress-2026.html