A GlaxoSmithKline plant in Montrose, Scotland, on Oct. 22, 2018. Andy Buchanan/Pool via Reuters
GlaxoSmithKline on July 17 said it was halting development of a drug that was aimed at treating chronic cough.
The company, known as GSK, ran two phase three clinical trials evaluating the drug camlipixant.
In one trial, recipients taking 50 milligrams of camlipixant twice daily had statistically significant reductions in 24-hour cough at week 12 compared to placebo recipients, GSK said. In the other trial, there was no statistically significant reduction at week 24 at that dosage level.
Taking 25-milligram camlipixant tablets twice daily did not meet statistical significance in either trial.
“Based on the aggregate data, the limited efficacy demonstrated is unlikely to transform patient care,” the UK-based GSK said in a statement. “GSK has decided not to progress further development of camlipixant” for refractory chronic cough.
A subset of the 5 percent of Americans with chronic cough suffer from refractory chronic cough, or a cough that persists for more than eight weeks despite treatment. Millions more in the UK and other countries are estimated to have the condition.
Related Stories
The United States and Europe have not approved any medicines specifically for the condition.
Pain relievers such as tramadol are used off-label to help patients deal with chronic cough. Specialists sometimes block the superior laryngeal nerve for people who do not respond well to or cannot take the pain relievers.
The camlipixant trials were conducted in locations around the world, including the United States and the UK.
GSK obtained camlipixant in 2023 as part of an acquisition of the Canadian-based biopharmaceutical company Bellus.
GSK had forecast peak annual sales of about 2.5 billion pounds for camlipixant, although analyst estimates were closer to 1 billion pounds.
“The camlipixant development program was seen as having an above average risk of failing, as chronic cough is a difficult-to-treat disease,” said Markus Manns, portfolio manager at GSK shareholder Union Investment, adding that it could increase pressure for further acquisitions.
Camlipixant had performed well in earlier-stage trials, including a 16-day phase two study. GSK had said that camlipixant was expected to be ready for launch after the trials and would help drive company growth in the coming years.
The company is still testing camlipixant against irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhea. A phase 2b trial evaluating camlipixant against the health issues was expected to enroll 420 people, start earlier this year, and be completed in 2027.
Reuters contributed to this report.