- BELLUS to provide BLU-5937 program update
during September 20th
webcast -
- Key Opinion Leader Dr. Jacky Smith to present on chronic cough
-
LAVAL, QC, Sept. 18, 2017 /CNW/ - BELLUS Health Inc. (TSX:
BLU) (BELLUS Health or the Company), a biopharmaceutical
development company advancing novel therapeutics for conditions
with high unmet medical need, today announced that its P2X3
antagonist drug candidate for chronic cough, BLU-5937, has shown a
significant reduction in cough and no taste disturbance in two
separate preclinical models. In the guinea pig cough model,
BLU-5937 has shown comparable efficacy to the current leading P2X3
antagonist, Merck & Co's Gefapixant (also named AF-219 or
MK-7264). In the rat taste model, BLU-5937 did not inhibit taste;
however, consistent with clinical trial data previously presented
by Merck & Co, Gefapixant did significantly impact taste.
"These preclinical data further support BLU-5937 as a potential
best in P2X3 class anti-tussive drug that reduces cough with little
or no taste effect," said Roberto
Bellini, President and CEO of BELLUS Health. "We're looking
forward to discussing these data in more detail and have KOL Dr.
Smith present on the chronic cough therapeutic landscape during our
September 20th event."
The Company's BLU-5937 program update and Key Opinion Leader
(KOL) event will be webcast live on Wednesday September 20, 2017 at 2:00 pm Eastern Time. KOL Dr. Jacky Smith, Professor of Respiratory Medicine
at the University of Manchester
and Director of the NIHR South Manchester Respiratory and Allergy
Clinical Research Facility, will discuss the clinical presentation
of chronic cough, its current unmet medical need and therapeutic
options, as well as novel treatment approaches under
development.
Dr. Denis Garceau, BELLUS
Health's Senior Vice President, Drug Development, will also provide
an update on BLU-5937, including preclinical study results and
development path.
Both Dr. Smith and Dr. Garceau will be available to answer
questions at the end of their presentations.
To listen to the live webcast or to ask questions during the
live event, please register at the following link:
https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1159556&tp_key=4a0ae58b66.
To ensure a timely connection to the webcast, it is recommended
that listeners pre-register no later than 15 minutes prior to the
scheduled start time. An archived version of the webcast and
presentation will be available on the Company's website at
www.bellushealth.com following the event.
BLU-5937's Reduction in Cough Frequency Comparable to the
Leading P2X3 Antagonist, Gefapixant
The anti-tussive effect of BLU-5937 was compared to that of
Gefapixant in a guinea pig cough model. Treatments (control,
BLU-5937 (0.3, 3 and 30 mg/kg) or Gefapixant (0.3, 3 or 30 mg/kg))
were administered orally in seven groups of 6 animals 2 hours prior
to tussive agent exposure (citric acid and histamine) and the
number of coughs were counted for a period of 15 minutes. Both
treatments showed comparable dose-dependent reduction in cough
frequency as compared to the control. The reduction in cough was
statistically significant at 3 mg/kg (39% vs. control) and 30 mg/kg
(52% vs. control) with BLU-5937, and at 30 mg/kg (45% vs. control)
with Gefapixant.
BLU-5937's Duration of Effect also Comparable to
Gefapixant
Using the same guinea pig cough model, a time course study was
conducted to assess the duration of the anti-tussive effect of
BLU-5937 and Gefapixant following the administration of a single
oral 30 mg/kg dose. In this study, animals in groups of
6 were exposed to tussive agents (citric acid and histamine) at
various times after the administration of the study drugs (2, 4, 6,
8 and 12 hours post-dose for BLU-5937 and 2 and 8 hours post-dose
for Gefapixant) and the number of coughs were measured for 15
minutes. The reduction in cough frequency compared to control was
shown to be statistically significant at 2, 4 and 6 hours post-dose
with BLU-5937, and at 2 hours post-dose with Gefapixant. The
anti-tussive effect was no longer significant at 8 hours post-dose
for both agents. These results indicate that BLU-5937 and
Gefapexiant have comparable duration of effect.
BLU-5937 Shows No Impact on Taste, Leading P2X3 Antagonist
Gefapixant Shows Significant Taste Disturbance in the Rat Taste
Model
A rat taste model was used to compare BLU-5937's effect on taste
function with that of Gefapixant. Animals were water-fasted
overnight and presented with one bottle of water and one bottle of
(bitter-tasting) quinine at the time corresponding to the maximum
plasma concentration of study drugs; and the volume of liquid
consumed from each bottle was measured for 15 minutes. Treatments
(control, BLU-5937 (10 or 20 mg/kg) or Gefapixant (10 or 20 mg/kg))
were administered intraperitoneally in two groups of 10 rats.
Animals treated with BLU-5937 did not drink more quinine than the
control animals, while those treated with Gefapixant drank
significantly (approximately 5 times) more quinine than the control
at the two doses tested. These results indicate that Gefapixant
altered taste function, while BLU-5937 did not.
About BLU-5937
BLU-5937, a selective P2X3 antagonist, has the potential to be a
best-in-class therapeutic for chronic cough patients who do not
respond to current therapies. Chronic cough is a cough that lasts
more than eight weeks and is associated with significant adverse
social, psychosocial and physical effects on quality of life. It is
estimated that more than 2.7 million patients suffer from
refractory chronic cough in the United
States alone.
About BELLUS Health (www.bellushealth.com)
BELLUS Health is a biopharmaceutical development company
advancing novel therapeutics for conditions with high unmet medical
need. Its pipeline of projects includes BLU-5937 for chronic cough
and several other partnered clinical-stage drug development
programs.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this news release, other than
statements of fact that are independently verifiable at the date
hereof, may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of Canadian securities legislation and regulations. Such
statements, based as they are on the current expectations of
management, inherently involve numerous important risks,
uncertainties and assumptions, known and unknown, many of which are
beyond BELLUS Health Inc.'s control. Such risks factors include but
are not limited to: the ability to expand and develop its project
pipeline, the ability to obtain financing, the impact of general
economic conditions, general conditions in the pharmaceutical
industry, changes in the regulatory environment in the
jurisdictions in which BELLUS Health Inc. does business, stock
market volatility, fluctuations in costs, changes to the
competitive environment due to consolidation, achievement of
forecasted burn rate, potential payments/outcomes in relation to
indemnity agreements and contingent value rights, achievement of
forecasted pre-clinical and clinical trial milestones and that
actual results may vary once the final and quality-controlled
verification of data and analyses has been completed. In addition,
the length of BELLUS Health Inc.'s drug candidates' development
process, their market size and commercial value, as well as the
sharing of proceeds between BELLUS Health Inc. and its potential
partners from potential future revenues, if any, are dependent upon
a number of factors. Consequently, actual future results and events
may differ materially from the anticipated results and events
expressed in the forward-looking statements. The Company believes
that expectations represented by forward-looking statements are
reasonable, yet there can be no assurance that such expectations
will prove to be correct. The reader should not place undue
reliance, if any, on any forward-looking statements included in
this news release. These forward-looking statements speak only as
of the date made, and BELLUS Health Inc. is under no obligation and
disavows any intention to update publicly or revise such statements
as a result of any new information, future event, circumstances or
otherwise, unless required by applicable legislation or regulation.
Please see BELLUS Health Inc.'s public filings with the Canadian
securities regulatory authorities, including the Annual Information
Form, for further risk factors that might affect BELLUS Health Inc.
and its business.
SOURCE BELLUS Health Inc.