“A significant majority of lung cancer patients experience a cough at some point during their cancer journey, which severely impacts their quality of life during an already challenging period. Despite its prevalence and impact, lung cancer cough is largely overlooked as a therapeutic target. Currently, no companies are actively developing specific treatments for lung cancer cough, with the exception of Biovara.
Given my experiences with using aprepitant to treat cough in lung cancer patients, exploring the efficacy of aprepitant as a novel antitussive for the treatment of lung cancer cough in a carefully constructed, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial, is a logical next step.
I fully support Biovara’s commitment to addressing this critical unmet medical need.”
Professor Jaclyn Smith – regarded as a world-leading expert on chronic cough, including Lung Cancer Cough, endorses Biovara’s clinical approach.
Professor Jaclyn Smith
Jaclyn Smith is Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Honorary Consultant, Director NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility, Co-Lead NIHR Respiratory Theme of the Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, at The University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester).
Jaclyn also led the development of a novel method for semi-automated cough detection that has been licensed to and commercialised by Vitalograph Ltd. This cough monitoring system has changed the standards by which novel cough therapies are evaluated in regulatory clinical trials and has facilitated the discovery of a new class of efficacious anti-tussive therapy, P2X3 antagonists.
In addition to continuing work developing new endpoints in cough monitoring, her main research interests lie in understanding the mechanisms underlying cough in respiratory diseases and the testing of novel anti-tussive therapies. Her research is funded by a Wellcome Investigator in Science Award and through the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre Respiratory Theme. She also collaborates widely with the pharmaceutical industry and has interacted with the FDA on behalf of Merck (with gefapixant) and GSK (with camplipixant) in terms of cough assessment in clinical trials.