A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Phase 2b Trial of P2X3 Receptor Antagonist Sivopixant for Refractory or Unexplained Chronic Cough

Introduction To determine the optimal dose of sivopixant, a highly selective P2X3 receptor antagonist, for refractory or unexplained chronic cough (RCC/UCC). Methods In this phase 2b, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter trial, patients received sivopixant 50, 150, or 300 mg or placebo once daily for 4 weeks. The primary endpoint was a change from baseline in 24-h cough frequency (coughs/h) with sivopixant vs placebo. Results Overall, 390/406 randomized patients completed the study. Placebo-adjusted changes in hourly cough count over 24 h were 13.17% ( P = 0.3532), − 1.77% ( P = 0.8935), and − 12.47% ( P = 0.3241) and in cough severity (visual analog scale) were 1.75 mm ( P = 0.5854), − 1.21 mm ( P = 0.7056), and − 6.55 mm ( P = 0.0433) with sivopixant 50, 150, and 300 mg, respectively. Placebo-adjusted changes from baseline in Leicester Cough Questionnaire total scores were − 0.37 ( P = 0.4207), − 0.07 ( P = 0.8806), and 0.69 ( P = 0.1473) with sivopixant 50, 150, and 300 mg, respectively. Additionally, 61.3%, 78.3%, 86.8%, and 71.4% of patients receiving sivopixant 50, 150, and 300 mg and placebo, respectively, reported any improvements in Patient Global Impression of Change. The incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) was 25.7%, 32.0%, 49.0%, and 20.6% in sivopixant 50, 150, and 300 mg and placebo groups, respectively; all TEAEs in the sivopixant group were mild-to-moderate. Conclusion Sivopixant did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference vs placebo in change from baseline in 24-h cough frequency. The dose of 300 mg has potential for RCC/UCC, showing the greatest improvements in cough frequency and patient-reported outcomes and dose-related mild to moderate reversible taste disturbance, although further trials are needed. Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04110054; registered September 26, 2019.