This patent adds to BLU-5937’s intellectual property portfolio which already includes composition of matter patent protection for BLU-5937 in all major pharmaceutical markets (U.S., Europe, Japan and China) until 2034.

“In multiple clinical trials, treating with a P2X3 antagonist was shown to be highly efficacious in the treatment of chronic cough” said Roberto Bellini, President and CEO of BELLUS Health. “However, this anti-tussive efficacy comes coupled with a profound effect on taste perception, including taste loss, due to poor selectivity for the P2X3 receptor. This new U.S. patent affords a broad and comprehensive protection for our lead drug candidate BLU-5937 claiming the compound’s selectivity as a means of minimizing deleterious taste effects and extends the patent protection of BLU-5937 by an additional 4 years”.

About BLU-5937 for Chronic Cough

BLU-5937 is a potent, highly selective, orally bioavailable small molecule antagonist of the P2X3 receptor, a clinically validated target for chronic cough. BLU-5937 has the potential to be a best-in-class therapeutic for chronic cough patients who do not respond to current therapies.

In July 2018, BELLUS Health initiated a clinical Phase 1 study for BLU-5937 in healthy subjects. Results are expected in the fourth quarter of 2018. A clinical Phase 2 study is expected to be initiated in 2019 in chronic cough patients.

In preclinical studies, BLU-5937 exhibited an excellent safety profile and a potent anti-tussive effect without affecting taste perception.

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. A recent commercial assessment performed by Torreya Insights on behalf of the Company concluded that, in the United Statesalone, more than 26 million adults have chronic cough and more than 2.6 million of these patients suffer from refractory chronic cough lasting for more than a year.

About BELLUS Health 

BELLUS Health is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for conditions with high unmet medical need. Its pipeline of projects includes the Company’s lead drug candidate BLU-5937 for chronic cough and several other partnered clinical-stage drug development programs.