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TUESDAY, April 24, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Serlopitant has potential as a therapy for the treatment of chronic pruritus, according to a study published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Gil Yosipovitch, M.D., from the University of Miami, and colleagues assessed the safety and efficacy of the P\/neurokinin 1 receptor antagonist serlopitant in treating chronic pruritus among patients with severe chronic pruritus who were unresponsive to antihistamines or topical steroids. Patients were randomized to either serlopitant (0.25, 1, or 5 mg) or placebo. Serlopitant was administered once daily for six weeks as monotherapy or with mid-potency steroids and emollients.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that serlopitant treatment resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in pruritus. The decreases from baseline using visual analogue scale pruritus scores were statistically significantly larger with the 1- and 5-mg doses of serlopitant (P = 0.022 and 0.013, respectively) versus placebo at week six. There were no significant safety or tolerability issues observed.<\/p>\n
“Serlopitant, 1 mg and 5 mg daily, was associated with a statistically significant reduction in chronic pruritus and was well tolerated,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Menlo Therapeutics, which manufactures serlopitant and supported the study.<\/p>\n