Eosinophil-Driven Diseases (EDDs)
Our ambition to address unmet needs for people with EDDs
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Our commitment to eosinophil-driven diseases
We are committed to developing medicines for eosinophil-driven diseases (EDDs) where there is a clear unmet treatment need, with the ambition to improve the health outcomes and lives of millions of patients worldwide who face these debilitating, potentially fatal illnesses.1,2
EDDs are inflammatory illnesses in which elevated eosinophils are a direct cause or are thought to play a critical role.3 They include eosinophilic esophagitis, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, hypereosinophilic syndrome and some types of nasal polyposis, severe asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Some EDDs have limited or no approved treatment options, creating a significant unmet need for innovative medicines.
Patient Portraits
Greg
– Living with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)
“It was pretty terrifying to not be able to go out and eat and take my wife anywhere without worrying about getting home...or having severe abdominal pain so bad that it just made you bend over in a ball.”
Ginger
– Living with Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA)
“Before this, I was a career person and I exercised a lot and now I can’t do any of that anymore. Your friends kind of disappear when you get sick because nobody wants to sit on your couch constantly and watch movies, but that’s pretty much what you can do. It’s hard for you to get up and do things."
Dionna
– Living with Hypereosinophilic Syndrome (HES)
“Between 2010 and 2014, I was hospitalised 26 times. They thought I had been in a fire because that’s the way my skin looked. It looked like someone whose skin had been burned and really what caused that was my excessive scratching and bleeding.”
Types of eosinophil-driven diseases
We are currently investigating potential medicines to treat inflammatory, EDDs where unmet medical need remains significant and, in some cases, where we see an increasing prevalence.
Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)
A rare chronic, inflammatory disease of the esophagus characterised by the accumulation of eosinophils in the esophageal lining tissue, resulting in injury, fibrosis and dysfunction that can potentially lead to chronic pain, difficulty swallowing, poor growth, malnutrition and weight loss.4
Hypereosinophilic Syndrome (HES)
A group of rare disorders characterised by high numbers of eosinophils in blood and tissues, which can cause progressive damage to any organ and, if left untreated, can be fatal.2 HES most commonly impacts the skin, heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system.2
Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA)
A rare, chronic autoimmune disease that is caused by inflammation of small to medium-sized blood vessels, resulting in damage to multiple organs, including lungs, skin, heart, gastrointestinal tract and nerves.1,5
Nasal polyposis (NP)
Nasal polyps are growths on the lining of the sinuses and nasal passages. In patients with NP, elevated levels of eosinophils accumulate in the upper respiratory tract.6 NP can lead to breathing problems, frequent sinus infections or loss of ability to smell.6
Join us
At AstraZeneca, we’re driven by innovation and our commitment to make a real-life difference in patients’ lives. Join us and help deliver life-changing medicines. Be among our employees who continue to make us an innovation-driven company that stands firmly among the world’s leaders in biopharmaceuticals.
References
1. American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders. Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA). Accessed 20 November 2018. https: apfed.org/about-ead/eosinophilic-granulomatosis-with-polyangiitis/.
2. American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders. Hypereosinophilic Syndromes. Accessed 16 September 2019. https://apfed.org/about-ead/hypereosinophilic-syndrome/.
3. American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders. What is an eosinophil associated disease? Accessed 16 September 2019. https://apfed.org/about-ead/what-is-an-eosinophil-associated-disease/
4. American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders. EoE. Accessed 16 September 2019. https://apfed.org/about-ead/egids/eoe/.
5. Baldini C, Talarico R, Della Rossa A, Bombardieri S. Clinical Manifestations and Treatment of Churg-Strauss Syndrome. Rheum Dis Clin N Am. 2010; 36: 527-543.
6. American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology. Nasal Polyps. Accessed 16 September 2019. https://aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions-dictionary/Nasal-Polyps
Veeva ID: Z4-19425
Date of Preparation: September 2019
Date of Expiration: September 2021