NCT04765722

Mepolizumab for the Treatment of Chronic Cough With Eosinophilic Airways Diseases

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 4
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 46 (actual)
• Sponsor: McMaster University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Cough is the most common presenting symptom to family physician. Chronic Cough affects approximately 10-12% of the general population and is one of the commonest reasons for referral to secondary care. Unfortunately, there are no licensed treatments for this debilitating condition, which is associated with a poor quality of life, affecting the social, physical and psychological well-being of patients. The aim of this single-centre proof-of-concept study is to investigate whether mepolizumab reduces objective cough frequency in patients with eosinophilic asthma and non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis presenting with chronic cough. Secondary outcomes including the effects on quality of life, the intensity of irritant sensations, airway hyper-reactivity and inflammatory cells and their progenitors will also be evaluated. The investigators hypothesize that in patients with asthma and non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis, eosinophils are involved in sensitizing airway nerves and thereby increasing spontaneous objective coughs. The investigators predict that treatment with mepolizumab will reduce airway eosinophilia in patients with chronic cough due to eosinophilic asthma and non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis, thereby causing a reduction in objective cough frequency.

Detailed description

This is a 9-visit randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group Phase IV study. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of mepolizumab for the treatment of refractory chronic cough in patients with eosinophilic airway disease. Patients will be recruited from secondary care clinics. Patient eligibility will be assessed against the study inclusion/exclusion criteria and patients will undergo informed consent in the research centre. Subjects who provide informed consent and are enrolled in the study will undergo screening procedures. The study will consist of a Mepolizumab treatment arm and placebo arm (normal saline). Fifteen subjects will be randomly assigned to the treatment arm and fifteen subjects will be randomly assigned to the placebo arm in a 1:1 ratio. Following screening and randomization, subjects will under an 12-week treatment period during which they will receive 4 doses of the study drug at days 0, 28, 56, and 84. The primary study outcomes will be measured at week 14 week, 2 weeks following the treatment period. At Visit 1 (screening), subjects will undergo screening procedures: complete medical history, physical examination, methacholine challenge, spirometry, sputum induction, and blood sampling. Subjects will complete the Leicester Cough Questionnaire and modified Borg Scale. At Visit 2, subjects will be fitted with a 24-hour cough monitor. At Visit 3, 24-hour cough monitors will be removed and subjects will undergo spirometry, blood sampling and sputum induction. Subjects will complete the Leicester Cough Questionnaire, modified Borg Scale, and Cough Severity Visual Analogue Scale. The first dose of the study drug will be administered in the clinical research facility by a study physician. At Visit 4, subjects will undergo spirometry and blood sampling and complete the Leicester Cough Questionnaire, modified Borg Scale, and Cough Severity Visual Analogue Scale. The second dose of the study drug will be administered in the clinical research facility by a study physician. At Visit 5, the third dose of the study drug will be administered in the clinical research facility by a study physician. Subjects will be fitted with a 24-hour cough monitor. At Visit 6, 24-hour cough monitors will be removed and subjects will undergo spirometry, sputum induction and blood sampling and complete the Leicester Cough Questionnaire, modified Borg Scale, and Cough Severity Visual Analogue Scale. At Visit 7, subjects will undergo spirometry and blood sampling and complete the Leicester Cough Questionnaire, modified Borg Scale, and Cough Severity Visual Analogue Scale. The fourth dose of the study drug will be administered in the clinical research facility by a study physician. At Visit 8, subjects will be fitted with a 24-hour cough monitor. At Visit 9, the 24-hour cough monitors will be removed and subjects will undergo spirometry, methacholine challenge, sputum induction, and blood sampling. Subjects will complete the Leicester Cough Questionnaire, modified Borg Scale, and Cough Severity Visual Analogue Scale. All study procedures will be performed according to local standard operating procedures and be conducted by trained and experienced staff with supervision by medical doctors. Study physicians will administer all study drug injections. Safety will be assessed throughout the study by monitoring for adverse events and serious adverse events.

Conditions

• Chronic Cough
• Eosinophilic Bronchitis
• Asthma

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Mepolizumab	Mepolizumab subcutaneous injection administered 4 times days 0, 28, 56 and 84 during 12 week treatment period.
DRUG	Normal Saline	Placebo subcutaneous injection administered 4 times days 0, 28, 56 and 84 during 12 week treatment period.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-12-14
• Primary completion: 2024-11-12
• Completion: 2024-11-12
• First posted: 2021-02-21
• Last updated: 2025-09-16
• Results posted: 2025-09-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated drug study