GSK Plc has stopped development of a small molecule drug for chronic cough following only limited efficacy for the product in a Phase 3 programme. However the drug will continue to be evaluated for irritable bowel syndrome. The drug, camlipixant, entered GSK’s portfolio with the acquisition of the Canadian company, BELLUS Health Inc in 2023. At the time, the acquisition was valued at $2 billion. Camlipixant is an antagonist of the P2X3 receptor, a type of receptor primarily found in sensory neurons. The receptors are activated by a molecule often released during cellular stress or injury.
GSK was investigating camlipixant for refractory chronic cough, a persistent cough that can last more than eight weeks. In a Phase 2b trial, camlipixant met its primary endpoint by showing statistically significant reductions in 24-hour cough frequency compared with a placebo. The Phase 3 programme however did not match these results. One study met the endpoint of statistically significant reductions in 24-hour cough frequency but the second study did not. “Based on the aggregate data, the limited efficacy demonstrated is unlikely to transform patient care,” GSK said in a statement issued on 17 July 2026.
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