Nocion Therapeutics Presents Taplucainium Data at 13th London Cough Symposium

WATERTOWN, MA, USA I July 15, 2024 I Nocion Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, has announced significant progress in developing taplucainium, a novel treatment for chronic cough. Taplucainium is a small molecule charged sodium channel blocker, termed a "nocion," designed to selectively target and inhibit actively firing nociceptors. Bernard Silverman, MD, the Chief Medical Officer at Nocion, will present these advancements at the 13th London International Cough Symposium.

Dr. Silverman expressed enthusiasm about the development of taplucainium, highlighting its potential to address the substantial unmet medical need for an effective chronic cough treatment. He also announced plans to initiate the ASPIRE (Phase 2b) clinical trial in the latter half of 2024. This trial will involve 240 patients suffering from chronic cough.

Taplucainium, previously known as NTX-1175, represents a new class of charged sodium channel blockers. These molecules specifically silence activated or inflamed nociceptors, resulting in minimal off-target effects and limited systemic exposure. This mechanism differentiates taplucainium from other experimental cough therapies, such as P2X3-antagonists, TRPA1-antagonists, and TRPM8-agonists, which target specific large pore channels. Instead, taplucainium works downstream by selectively inhibiting sodium channels in activated nociceptors, which are influenced by these large pore channels.

Taplucainium is administered as a dry powder for inhalation. Upon inhalation, the drug accesses pulmonary nociceptors through any open large pore channel, such as P2X, TRPV, TRPA, or TRPM channels. It then inhibits the sodium channels responsible for triggering the pathological cough response. Preclinical models have demonstrated the significant antitussive (cough-suppressing) effects of taplucainium, and earlier clinical trials have shown promising safety and efficacy data. This body of evidence supports its further investigation as a treatment for chronic cough and potentially other cough-related conditions.

Nocion Therapeutics focuses on developing novel small molecule charged sodium channel blockers, known as "nocions," for treating conditions associated with activated sensory neurons, including cough, itch, and pain. The company's mission is to provide safe and effective treatments to alleviate suffering for millions of patients with these conditions. Nocion was founded through an exclusive license agreement with Harvard University and Boston Children's Hospital, facilitated by Harvard’s Office of Technology Development. The company has garnered support from several venture investors, including Arkin Bio Capital, Canaan Partners, F-Prime Capital, Lumira Ventures, Mass General Brigham Ventures, Mission BioCapital, Monograph Capital, Morningside, and Osage University Partners.

Nocion Therapeutics aims to advance medical science by developing innovative therapies that target and mitigate the activity of sensory neurons, thus providing significant relief for patients with serious and chronic conditions.