Every Breath Matters: Addressing Unmet Needs in Respiratory Care

Until a few years ago, there were limited options available to treat patients suffering from severe respiratory diseases.

“I once had a patient in her forties with severe asthma. Not many treatment options were available back then – she was taking steroids and had to come back and forth to the hospital. The medication had side effects and her symptoms would recur, so she waited longer and longer until her attacks would return. One time, she waited too long and sadly passed away,” shared a Sanofi researcher and former physician. “It is stories like hers that made me realize how critical scientific research in immunology is to help to advance diverse treatment options.”

When it comes to sheer physical ability, nothing hinders the body quite like the inability to breathe. Chronic respiratory diseases have a significant physical, psychological and economic impact on patients and caregivers, as well as an economic burden on the healthcare system.

A lot has changed in respiratory care over the past several years including the emergence of biologic treatments which has transformed the way chronic inflammatory diseases are treated. Through innovation, Sanofi, alongside its partner Regeneron, has proven itself a leader in type 2 inflammation research, providing solutions for the treatment of various chronic inflammatory diseases.

But more research is needed. Inflammatory respiratory diseases are complex and not fully understood. Multiple mechanisms can cause the inflammation underlying these burdensome and limiting conditions, and patients have different needs. There is no one solution that fits everyone.

Using our expertise in immunology, Sanofi has established a pipeline of potential medicines that address multiple key inflammatory pathways. The goal is to create tailored treatment options addressing these individual patient needs. We aim to raise efficacy ceilings, intervene early in the disease and change its course.

In asthma, we are combining different pathways that we believe could be effective and could increase efficacy, becoming more powerful together. For example, we are exploring an investigational novel nanobody VHH that combines targeting of IL-13 and TSLP, both key drivers of the underlying inflammation in respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD. A goal of our research is to determine if the combination of these targets could create better outcomes for patients than with one target alone.

Our researchers are also looking beyond type 2 inflammation to discover new solutions for patients with mixed inflammatory responses. Sanofi is exploring the potential of OX40-Ligand, a key immune regulator, as a target to stop inflammation at its root.

We are also investigating the potential of an oral inhibitor of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTKi).⁹ We are analyzing its ability to potentially intervene earlier in the diseases of asthma patients whose disease is not well controlled with standard of care treatments.

Sanofi leverages some of the best R&D technology in the form of artificial intelligence and data analysis platforms, patient-centric clinical trials and — most importantly — passionate scientists who drive our innovative spirit.

As we continue to chase the miracles of science and unlock the potential of the immune system, we remain driven not by what, but by who is at the center of everything we do: the patient.

“As we look ahead to the future of respiratory disease treatment, I’m inspired by new potential advancements in the space,” said Ashrafian. “They support our goal of lessening the burden of disease on patients, so they don’t have to think about their disease anymore.”