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Matera MG, Rogliani P, Page CP, Calzetta L, Cazzola M. The discovery and development of gefapixant as a novel antitussive therapy. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2024:1-14. [PMID: 39138872 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2024.2391902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Gefapixant, a P2X 3 receptor antagonist, shows considerable potential in managing refractory or unexplained chronic cough. Clinical trials have consistently demonstrated its efficacy in significantly reducing cough frequency and alleviating associated symptoms. However, its adverse effect profile, particularly taste disturbances such as dysgeusia and hypogeusia, the incidence of which is dose-dependent, poses a significant challenge to patient compliance and overall treatment satisfaction. AREAS COVERED The authors review the mechanism of action of gefapixant, the dose-dependent nature of its adverse effects and the findings from various clinical trials, including Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 studies. The authors also cover its regulatory status, post-marketing data, and its main competitors. EXPERT OPINION Gefapixant represents a significant advancement in treating chronic cough. However, balancing efficacy and tolerability is crucial. Lower effective doses and potential combination therapies may mitigate taste disturbances. Patient education and close monitoring during treatment are also important for optimal outcomes. Further research is needed to refine dosing strategies to minimize side effects while maintaining therapeutic efficacy. This research and personalized treatment approaches are key to optimizing gefapixant therapy, ensuring improved management of chronic cough while reducing adverse effects. However, pharmaceutical trials and proposals must be adapted to align with each regulatory body's specific requirements and concerns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Gabriella Matera
- Unit of Pharmacology, Department of Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Paola Rogliani
- Unit of Respiratory Medicine, Department Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Clive P Page
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Luigino Calzetta
- Unit of Respiratory Disease and Lung Function, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Mario Cazzola
- Unit of Respiratory Medicine, Department Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
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Guilleminault L, Grassin-Delyle S, Mazzone SB. Drugs Targeting Cough Receptors: New Therapeutic Options in Refractory or Unexplained Chronic Cough. Drugs 2024; 84:763-777. [PMID: 38904926 DOI: 10.1007/s40265-024-02047-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Refractory chronic cough is a disabling disease with very limited therapeutic options. A better understanding of cough pathophysiology has led to the development of emerging drugs targeting cough receptors. Recent strides have illuminated novel therapeutic avenues, notably centred on modulating transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, purinergic receptors, and neurokinin receptors. By modulating these receptors, the goal is to intervene in the sensory pathways that trigger cough reflexes, thereby providing relief without compromising vital protective mechanisms. These innovative pharmacotherapies hold promise for improvement of refractory chronic cough by offering improved efficacy and potentially mitigating adverse effects associated with current recommended treatments. A deeper comprehension of their precise mechanisms of action and clinical viability is imperative for optimising therapeutic interventions and elevating patient care standards in respiratory health. This review delineates the evolving landscape of drug development in this domain, emphasising the significance of these advancements in reshaping the paradigm of cough management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Guilleminault
- Toulouse Institute for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases (Infinity), INSERM UMR1291, CNRS UMR5051, University Toulouse III, 31024, Toulouse, France.
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hôpital Larrey, Toulouse University Hospital, 24 chemin de Pouvourville, 31059, Toulouse, France.
| | - Stanislas Grassin-Delyle
- Exhalomics®, Hôpital Foch, Suresnes, France
- Département de Biotechnologie de la Santé, Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, INSERM, Infection et inflammation (2I), U1173, Montigny le Bretonneux, France
| | - Stuart B Mazzone
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Li X, Haranaka M, Li H, Liu P, Chen H, Klein S, Reif S, Francke K, Friedrich C, Okumura K. P2X3 Receptor Antagonist Eliapixant in Phase I Clinical Trials: Safety and Inter-ethnic Comparison of Pharmacokinetics in Healthy Chinese and Japanese Participants. Clin Pharmacokinet 2024; 63:901-915. [PMID: 38907175 DOI: 10.1007/s40262-024-01387-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Afferent neuronal hypersensitization via P2X3 receptor signaling has been implicated as a driver of several disorders, including refractory chronic cough, endometriosis, diabetic neuropathic pain, and overactive bladder. Eliapixant, a selective P2X3 receptor antagonist, has been in clinical development for all four disorders. OBJECTIVE This paper describes pharmacokinetic (PK) and safety data from two phase I studies of eliapixant in healthy Japanese and Chinese participants and compares those data within the two populations and with previous multiple dose data from Caucasian participants. METHODS Two separate phase I, single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled studies were conducted with healthy male participants. The Japanese study was single-blind and the Chinese study was double-blind. Eliapixant was administered as an oral amorphous solid dispersion immediate-release tablet in strengths of 25 mg, 75 mg, and 150 mg. PK characteristics after a single dose (SD) and at steady state (multiple dose [MD], twice daily), adverse events (AEs), and tolerability were evaluated. A post hoc comparison of PK characteristics after SD of eliapixant in Japanese and Chinese participants, and after MD of eliapixant in Japanese, Chinese, and Caucasian participants, was performed. RESULTS Overall, 36/39 participants enrolled in the Japanese/Chinese studies, respectively (mean [standard deviation] age 25.4 [6.5] and 26.7 [5.0] years, respectively). After SD administration, maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) was higher among Japanese than Chinese participants in the 25 mg and 75 mg dose groups, but comparable in the 150 mg dose group. The area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) was comparable between Japanese and Chinese participants in the 25 mg and 75 mg dose groups, but lower among Japanese participants in the 150 mg group. Half-lives after SD and MD administration were also comparable in Japanese and Chinese participants. The post hoc analysis included 26 Japanese, 30 Chinese, and 50 Caucasian participants. Comparable exposure (Cmax,md and AUC[0-12]md) was observed after MD administration of eliapixant in Chinese and/or Japanese compared with Caucasian participants (geometric mean inter-ethnic ratios close to 1). The trough plasma concentration after eliapixant 150 mg MD, which was assumed to be relevant to eliapixant efficacy, was comparable across all ethnicity groups. Most AEs reported in the Japanese (eliapixant 75 mg SD, n = 2; eliapixant 150 mg MD, n = 2) and Chinese participants (eliapixant 25 mg SD, n = 7; eliapixant 75 mg SD, n = 6; eliapixant 150 mg SD, n = 7; eliapixant 150 mg MD, n = 9; placebo SD, n = 5; placebo MD, n = 1) were of mild intensity. Higher incidences of AEs in the Chinese population were likely due to differing standards of AE reporting between investigators. CONCLUSION Eliapixant was well tolerated by Japanese and Chinese participants. The inter-ethnic evaluation demonstrated similar PK characteristics across Japanese, Chinese, and Caucasian participants. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier numbers: NCT04265781 and NCT04802343.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuening Li
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Miwa Haranaka
- Hakata Clinic, Souseikai Global Clinical Research Center, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Pei Liu
- Bayer Healthcare Co. Ltd., Clinical Pharmacology Asia, Beijing, China.
| | - Huijun Chen
- Bayer Healthcare Co. Ltd., Clinical Pharmacology Asia, Beijing, China
| | - Stefan Klein
- Bayer AG, Clinical Pharmacology, Berlin, Germany
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Reif S, Schultze-Mosgau MH, Engelen A, Piel I, Denner K, Roffel A, Tiessen R, Klein S, Francke K, Rottmann A. Mass Balance and Metabolic Pathways of Eliapixant, a P2X3 Receptor Antagonist, in Healthy Male Volunteers. Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet 2024; 49:71-85. [PMID: 38044419 DOI: 10.1007/s13318-023-00866-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Overactive adenosine triphosphate signaling via P2X3 homotrimeric receptors is implicated in multiple conditions. To fully understand the metabolism and elimination pathways of eliapixant, a study was conducted to assess the pharmacokinetics, mass balance, and routes of excretion of a single oral dose of the selective P2X3 receptor antagonist eliapixant, in addition to an in vitro characterization. METHODS In this single-center open-label non-randomized non-placebo-controlled phase I study, healthy male subjects (n = 6) received a single dose of 50 mg eliapixant blended with 3.7 MBq [14C]eliapixant as a PEG 400-based oral solution. Total radioactivity and metabolites excreted in urine and feces, and pharmacokinetics of total radioactivity, eliapixant, and metabolites in plasma were assessed via liquid scintillation counting and high-performance liquid chromatography-based methods coupled to radiometric and mass spectrometric detection. Metabolite profiles of eliapixant in human in vitro systems and metabolizing enzymes were also investigated. RESULTS After administration as an oral solution, eliapixant was rapidly absorbed, reaching maximum plasma concentrations within 2 h. Eliapixant was eliminated from plasma with a mean terminal half-life of 48.3 h. Unchanged eliapixant was the predominant component in plasma (72.6% of total radioactivity area under the curve). The remaining percentage of drug-related components in plasma probably represented the sum of many metabolites, detected in trace amounts. Mean recovery of total radioactivity was 97.9% of the administered dose (94.3-99.4%) within 14 days, with 86.3% (84.8-88.1%) excreted via feces and 11.6% (9.5-13.1%) via urine. Excretion of parent drug was minimal in feces (0.7% of dose) and urine (≈ 0.5%). In feces, metabolites formed by oxidation represented > 90% of excreted total radioactivity. The metabolites detected in the in vitro experiments were similar to those identified in vivo. CONCLUSION Complete recovery of administered eliapixant-related radioactivity was observed in healthy male subjects with predominant excretion via feces. Eliapixant was almost exclusively cleared by oxidative biotransformation (> 90% of dose), with major involvement of cytochrome P450 3A4. Excretion of parent drug was of minor importance (~ 1% of dose). CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04487431 (registered 27 July 2020)/EudraCT number: 2020-000519-54 (registered 3 February 2020), NCT02817100 (registered 26 June 2016), NCT03310645 (registered 16 October 2017).
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Reif
- Clinical Pharmacology, Bayer AG Research and Development, Pharmaceuticals, Müllerstraße 178, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
| | | | - Anna Engelen
- Bayer AG Research and Development, Pharmaceuticals, Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Isabel Piel
- Bayer AG Research and Development, Pharmaceuticals, Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Karsten Denner
- Clinical Pharmacology, Bayer AG Research and Development, Pharmaceuticals, Müllerstraße 178, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ad Roffel
- ICON Plc (Formerly PRA Health Sciences), Van Swietenlaan 6, 9728 NZ, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Renger Tiessen
- ICON Plc (Formerly PRA Health Sciences), Van Swietenlaan 6, 9728 NZ, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Stefan Klein
- Clinical Pharmacology, Bayer AG Research and Development, Pharmaceuticals, Müllerstraße 178, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Klaus Francke
- Clinical Pharmacology, Bayer AG Research and Development, Pharmaceuticals, Müllerstraße 178, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Antje Rottmann
- Clinical Pharmacology, Bayer AG Research and Development, Pharmaceuticals, Müllerstraße 178, 13353, Berlin, Germany
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Zhang M, Morice AH. Unravelling vagal hypersensitivity in chronic cough: A distinct disease. J Physiol 2023. [PMID: 37642341 DOI: 10.1113/jp284641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic cough (CC) is a common but poorly understood disease that has a negative impact on quality of life. For years, clinicians have been trying to find the underlying diagnosis and using existing disease models to describe the patients' illness. This presents a confusing picture of CC. Most patients with CC present with hypersensitivity of the cough reflex, which is characterised by laryngeal paraesthesia and an increased response to the tussive stimuli or an innocuous stimulus that would not trigger coughing in healthy people. Recently, it has been proposed that CC is a unique disease characterised by vagal hypersensitivity that projects to the central nervous system altering responsiveness. The evidence supports the hypothesis that CC is primarily a neurological disorder, consisting of different phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengru Zhang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Centre for Clinical Science, Respiratory Medicine, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Castle Hill Hospital, Cottingham, UK
| | - Alyn H Morice
- Centre for Clinical Science, Respiratory Medicine, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Castle Hill Hospital, Cottingham, UK
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