Oct 5 (Reuters) - Drugmaker Insmed Inc said it on Wednesday it had bought the rights to an experimental early-stage respiratory drug from Britain's AstraZeneca Plc in a deal worth $150 million.

AstraZeneca will get $30 million in upfront fees and $120 million in various milestone payments, Insmed said.

The deal adds AstraZeneca's AZD7986 compound to Insmed's pipeline. AZD7986 is designed to stop an enzyme that regulates inflammation in the respiratory system.

Insmed, which focuses on developing treatments for respiratory diseases, said it would start a mid-stage study of the drug in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, a disease in which the airways in the lungs become permanently dilated due to chronic inflammation and infection.

(Reporting by Vidya L Nathan in Bengaluru; Editing by Ted Kerr)