About:
BELLUS Health is developing therapeutics against P2X3 for the treatment of refractory chronic cough (RCC). P2X3 are receptor proteins that play an important role in the sensitization of the nervous system to various stimuli. Aberrant activity of P2X3 stimulated by tissue damage and inflammation is thought to be causal to RCC by triggering the urge to cough. There is currently no approved therapy for RCC that is estimated to affect up to 10% of the global population. BELLUS’ lead candidate, BLU-5937, is a highly selective P2X3 antagonist that is being tested in two pivotal trials for the treatment of RCC. BELLUS is also investigating how P2X3 inhibition can be applied to treat other related disorders.