Biotech’s latest David and Goliath story intensifies
About a dozen years ago, Bellus Health was teetering on the brink of insolvency after a would-be treatment for Alzheimer’s disease turned out to be no better than placebo. Today, it is a rehabilitated enterprise with plans to contend with Merck, and it just took full control of its own destiny.
Yesterday, Bellus signed a deal to buy out its partners and acquire the full rights to BLU-5937, an in-development treatment for chronic cough. Much like a Merck drug called gefapixant, BLU-5937 targets a sensory receptor called P2X3, which plays a role in triggering coughing. But Bellus believes its drug is more precise, meaning it might avoid the nagging loss of taste sensation sometimes observed with Merck’s treatment.
But that remains to be seen. Bellus is running a mid-stage trial expected to conclude in the middle of this year. If the drug looks favorable to gefapixant, Bellus will be that much closer to one of biotech’s more improbable turnarounds. If not, this could be the Alzheimer’s situation all over again. Either way, the company now owns 100% of its lottery ticket.
Yesterday, Bellus signed a deal to buy out its partners and acquire the full rights to BLU-5937, an in-development treatment for chronic cough. Much like a Merck drug called gefapixant, BLU-5937 targets a sensory receptor called P2X3, which plays a role in triggering coughing. But Bellus believes its drug is more precise, meaning it might avoid the nagging loss of taste sensation sometimes observed with Merck’s treatment.
But that remains to be seen. Bellus is running a mid-stage trial expected to conclude in the middle of this year. If the drug looks favorable to gefapixant, Bellus will be that much closer to one of biotech’s more improbable turnarounds. If not, this could be the Alzheimer’s situation all over again. Either way, the company now owns 100% of its lottery ticket.
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