ASPIRE Phase 2b, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Assess the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Taplucanium Inhalation Powder (NOC-110) in Adults with Refractory or Unexplained Chronic Cough
NIHR supportRecorded as supported by this research centre
PeriodMar 2025 — Feb 2026
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
Around 325 adults with chronic cough that has not responded to existing treatments will inhale a dry powder designed to block cough signals from the throat and airways. This matters because refractory or unexplained chronic cough (rCC) can persist for years, disrupting sleep, work, and social life, with no reliable treatment options. Current medicines often fail or cause side effects. The drug, taplucainium, targets cough receptors directly, aiming to interrupt the reflex at its source rather than just suppressing symptoms. If the trial shows taplucainium is safe and effective, it could become the first targeted therapy for rCC, offering a new option for patients who have exhausted existing treatments. That would directly improve daily life for people whose cough has resisted standard care—allowing them to speak, sleep, and socialise without constant interruption. The study is a Phase 2b randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, running for about 13 weeks across sites in the US, Canada, and Europe, including several in the UK.
View original technical description
The purpose of this clinical research study is to look at whether the investigational study drug, taplucainium, works and how safe it is in adults with refractory or unexplained chronic cough (rCC). Refractory means that treatments have not made it better; chronic means long term.Taplucainium is a dry powder that has been placed into a capsule. Participants will take the capsule using an inhaler, which will release the powder allowing the participants to breathe the powder in. Taplucainium is designed to block the signals sent from cough receptors in the throat and airways. These signals tell the brain to cause coughing. In this study, the study drug, taplucainium, will be compared with a placebo. A placebo looks like the study drug but does not contain any actual medicine. During the study, participants will be randomly assigned to receive the study drug or placebo. The total duration of the study for each participant will be approximately 13 weeks, including a Screening period (up to 4 weeks); a Study treatment period (up to 7 weeks) and a Follow-up period (about 2 weeks). Only people who are aged 18 to 80 years; have had a persistent cough for more than 1 year and have seen a doctor and received prescribed or over-the-counter medicines but their cough as not gotten better, or has only improved a little can take part. This study is sponsored by Nocion Therapeutics, Inc. Approximately 325 participants will take part in the study across all study centres in the United States, Canada, and Europe, including several sites in the United Kingdom.
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