Chiesi UK and Ireland and Wirral Primary Care Collaborative (WPCC) have launched COMET, a programme designed to enhance early diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the Wirral.

COPD is a leading cause of emergency hospital admissions, with an estimated 5,000 people living undiagnosed in the region, where prevalence is 40% higher than the national average.

The programme offers early diagnosis and interventions to relieve pressure on primary care and A&E services.

Rachel Voller, advanced nurse practitioner at Moreton & Meols PCN, said: “An estimated two million people live with undiagnosed COPD in the UK, with symptoms like breathlessness and chronic cough often mistaken for fatigue or ageing. These delays in diagnosis lead to reduced quality of life for patients, costly emergency hospital admissions and irreversible lung damage.”

Individuals identified as at risk of COPD will be referred to community diagnostic centres for spirometry assessment. Those diagnosed will then receive immediate management at a diagnostic clinic, ensuring timely access to care.

COPD costs the NHS around £1.9 billion annually in England alone and contributes to some of the poorest respiratory health outcomes in Europe.

COMET seeks to proactively identify those at risk and improve access to diagnostic and clinical assessment.

The initiative builds on insights from FRONTIER, a hospital-based programme in Hull that demonstrated targeted screening can improve access to testing and care.

By contrast, COMET brings diagnosis and management into primary care, supporting patients in the NHS lung cancer screening programme.

Harriet Lewis, senior director of public affairs and communications at Chiesi UK and Ireland, said: “At Chiesi, we believe early action is key to improving outcomes for people living with COPD.”

Mosaic Therapeutics, a UK-based oncology company has announced it has in-licensed two clinical-stage oncology programmes from Astex Pharmaceuticals.

The agreement transforms Mosaic from a research-focused entity into a clinical-stage business. Mosaic intends to develop proprietary combination therapies using these assets guided by its own biomarkers.

As part of the deal Astex has acquired a 19% equity stake in Mosaic upfront with a potential for an additional 3% upon reaching clinical milestones. Dr Harren Jhoti, Co-founder President and Chief Executive Officer of Astex will also take an observer role on Mosaic’s board.

Mosaic’s platform identifies synergistic drug combinations for specific patient populations aiming for improved efficacy.

The in-licensed assets include ASTX029, an ERK1/2 inhibitor that has completed a phase 2 study and ASTX295, an MDM2 antagonist that has completed a phase 1 study. Both compounds have demonstrated safety and single-agent activity in prior trials.

Dr Edward Hodgkin, Managing Partner of Syncona Investment Management Limited and Chair of Mosaic said: “Mosaic’s mission is to bring novel targeted combination medicines to patients who need them.”

He added: “The in-licensing of these two clinical-stage assets provides a step change in our development pipeline allowing Mosaic to progress targeted drug combinations in novel biomarker-defined settings and enabling the delivery of precision medicines for patients who currently have few therapeutic options.”

Dr Jhoti commented: “We recognise the significance of Mosaic’s platform, which has identified these two assets as anchor components of a pipeline of potential combination products.”

He further stated: “Both drug targets are well-characterised drivers of many cancers and we are excited to be working with the experienced team at Mosaic to expand the Company’s pipeline in combination therapies with high unmet medical need.”