LONDON—AstraZeneca PLC said Wednesday it has applied to U.S. regulators for approval to use its Symbicort asthma drug to treat a condition commonly known as smoker's cough, which would strengthen its competition with rival drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC.
AstraZeneca submitted a new drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use symbicort to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.
The London-based company, which said its application is based on two drug trials, launched Symbicort as an asthma inhaler last year in the United States, where where it is up against Glaxo's top-selling Advair medicine.
Advair can already be sold to treat COPD.
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