NEW CLINICAL TRIAL FOR ITCH CALLED PACIFIC
The PACIFIC Study
Investigating a new drug (EP547) for itch in PSC and PBC
Recruiting now
About EP547
People with cholestatic liver diseases like primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) or primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) often experience severe itch (pruritus), which can affect the amount and quality of sleep, degree of tiredness, and overall quality of life.
How itch occurs in these individuals is not fully understood.
However, in people with liver disease there can be a build-up in the blood and in the skin of certain chemicals found in bile (a fluid made by your liver to aid in digestion). It has long been suspected that these chemicals cause itch. More recently, it was discovered that these chemicals activate a receptor known as MRGPRX4, which is found on nerve cells in the skin known to cause itch.
EP547 is a unique compound that is designed to block activators of MRGPRX4, which may lead to less itching. EP547 is not intended to improve the liver disease associated with PBC or PSC, but rather to help reduce the itch that liver disease can cause.
