GlaxoSmithKline says lung drug meets late-stage study goals

Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc said its experimental combination therapy for a chronic lung problem met the main goal of a late-stage study, allowing the company to apply for marketing of the drug by the end of 2016.

The company said the study met its two main goals of significantly improving lung functions in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on two scales compared to AstraZeneca Plc's Symbicort.

GlaxoSmithKline, which is a market leader in respiratory medicine, is competing with rivals such as AstraZeneca and Novartis AG to use three different mechanisms of action in a single inhaler to help open the airways of patients with more severe disease.