BELLUS Health (TSX:BLU) enrolled the first patient in its Phase 2 study of BLU-5937 for the treatment of chronic cough.
The study, called RELIEF, will assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of BLU-5937 at four orally-administered, twice daily doses. BELLUS expects to enroll some 65 patients with refractory chronic cough at twelve clinical sites in the United Kingdom and United States.
“The RELIEF study in chronic cough will build on the body of earlier clinical evidence which showed, for the first time, that a highly-selective P2X3 antagonist is associated with little to no impact on taste,” Roberto Bellini, BELLUS’ president and CEO, said in a statement.
“The BLU-5937 P2X3 antagonist platform also extends to chronic pruritus, and we believe BLU-5937 has the potential to be an important treatment option for patients that suffer from either condition,” he added.
The company plans to present top-line data from the RELIEF study in mid-2020. Bellus also intends to launch a Phase 2 study in chronic pruritus associated with eczema in 2020.
