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GSK's chronic disease treatment study meets late-stage main goals

An exterior view of GSK Asia House is seen in Singapore

(Reuters) - GlaxoSmithKline Plc <GSK.L> said on Friday its treatment for a chronic inflammatory disease of the nasal passage linings or sinuses met the main goals in a late-stage study.

The treatment, Nucala, was tested in patients with a form of chronic rhinosinusitis who had a history of previous surgery and needed further surgery due to severe symptoms or worsening of the condition, the British drugmaker said.

Chronic rhinosinusitis causes inflammation in the nasal passage linings or sinuses leading to soft tissue growth known as nasal polyps.

The study met both main goals and showed that Nucala(mepolizumab), which is administered using a pre-filled syringe, when added to standard of care led to statistically significant improvements in both the size of nasal polyps and in nasal obstruction compared to the placebo arm, GlaxoSmithKline said.

Treatment options for the condition are currently limited and surgery to remove the polyp tissue may also be required for severe cases. However, polyps have a strong tendency to reoccur often leading to repeat surgery.

"These results show that Nucala can reduce symptoms and need for surgery in patients with nasal polyps," Chief Scientific Officer Hal Barron said.

(Corrects spelling of Nucala and typo in paragraph four)

(Reporting by Aakash Jagadeesh Babu in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)