To date, only one drug has been approved for the treatment of itch (persistent pruritus) and it only targets a small portion of the patient population. Researchers from Mallinckrodt plc have unveiled gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) as an itch-specific receptor for nonhistaminergic itch.
Menlo Therapeutics Inc. announced a double dose of bad news with negative results for two phase III trials testing its NK1 receptor antagonist, serlopitant, as a treatment for pruritus (itch) associated with prurigo nodularis, a skin disease characterized by hard, itchy nodules.