EMBARC and Insmed Announce Landmark 3,000-Patient Study to Evaluate Whether Brensocatib Can Modify the Course of Bronchiectasis
核心洞察
EMBARC (搜索) and Insmed intend to collaborate on a three-year, open-label, single-arm interventional study evaluating brensocatib 25 mg in approximately 3,000 bronchiectasis (搜索) patients across six European countries.
The study builds on ASPEN trial data showing brensocatib reduced exacerbation frequency, slowed lung function decline, and produced structural airway changes.
Researchers aim to determine whether earlier, upstream use of brensocatib can fundamentally alter the disease trajectory rather than merely slow progression.
EMBARC (搜索), the European Multicentre Bronchiectasis (搜索) Audit and Research Collaboration, announced at the World Bronchiectasis Conference (WBC 2026) in Hannover, Germany, its intention to collaborate with Insmed Incorporated on a landmark interventional study designed to evaluate whether brensocatib — an oral, reversible inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase-1 (搜索) (DPP-1) — can modify the course of bronchiectasis. The open-label, single-arm study will enroll approximately 3,000 patients across the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Belgium, France, and Italy over a three-year treatment period.
The study represents a significant escalation in ambition for the bronchiectasis (搜索) field, moving beyond symptom management toward the question of disease modification. Building on data from the ASPEN trial, which demonstrated that brensocatib 25 mg reduced exacerbation frequency, slowed lung function decline, and produced structural changes in the airways, this new research collaboration will ask whether intervening earlier in the disease course can fundamentally alter its trajectory.
"Building on ASPEN trial data showing that brensocatib 25 mg reduced exacerbation frequency, slowed lung function decline, and produced structural changes in the airways, this study through the EMBARC (搜索) network will allow us to ask an even more ambitious question: whether intervening earlier in the disease course can do more than slow progression, but fundamentally alter its trajectory," said lead study investigator James Chalmers, MBChB, Ph.D., Rhodes Chair of Experimental Therapeutics and Respiratory Physician at the University of Oxford.
A Disease with Significant Unmet Need
Bronchiectasis (搜索) is a serious, chronic, and progressive inflammatory lung disease characterized by permanent widening of the airways, leading to persistent bacterial infections, excessive mucus production, and recurrent pulmonary exacerbations. These exacerbations are associated with accelerated lung function decline and poor quality of life. The disease affects approximately 600,000 people across Europe and millions globally.
Current evidence has already demonstrated that brensocatib slows lung function decline — a measure used to indicate slower disease progression. The intended study will expand upon this foundation, evaluating whether earlier, upstream use of the therapy is effective in further slowing the progression of bronchiectasis (搜索). The protocol includes well-validated endpoints alongside novel composite endpoints designed to capture the full spectrum of disease modification.
A Three-Year Horizon for Transformative Insight
The three-year duration of the study provides a meaningful window to assess long-term outcomes. "Over a three-year horizon, we have a real opportunity to understand whether earlier use of brensocatib can not only reduce the burden of exacerbations and slow disease progression, but even more profoundly, change the natural course of the disease," Chalmers added. "That is the question at the heart of this study, and the answer could help shape how we treat bronchiectasis (搜索) in the future."
Martina Flammer, M.D., MBA, Chief Medical Officer of Insmed, emphasized the strategic importance of the collaboration: "EMBARC (搜索) is one of the world's leading bronchiectasis (搜索) research networks, and this collaboration reflects our commitment to understanding how brensocatib can make the greatest possible difference in patients' lives." She noted that by studying brensocatib earlier in the disease course and over the longer term in a large, heterogeneous population, the partners hope to give patients "the best possible chance of preserving their lung health."
About the Research Partners
EMBARC (搜索) was established in 2012 as a collaborative group within the Respiratory Infections Assembly of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) with the objective of creating a European bronchiectasis (搜索) registry, harmonizing existing databases, and raising the profile of bronchiectasis at an international level. The network brings together leading clinicians and researchers from across Europe to conduct high-quality interventional research and clinical trials.
Insmed Incorporated, headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey, is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering first- and best-in-class therapies for patients facing serious diseases. The company's portfolio spans three therapeutic areas — Respiratory, Immunology & Inflammation, and Neuro & Other Rare — and its research engine is advancing technologies including gene therapy, AI-driven protein engineering, RNA end-joining, and synthetic rescue.