BELLUS Health (BLU) Is Making Solid Science and Patient Relief a “Code BLUE” Priority

The time to consider BLU stock is now as BELLUS Health fast-tracks the clinical timeline

In the biotechnology domain, the terms “life-changing” and “life-saving” are sometimes confused or equated. Yet, not every proposed high-need medical solution that improves patients’ quality of life is necessarily going to be a code-red lifesaver.

To put it another way, some medical treatments are more of a “Code Blue” priority: not geared towards any immediately life-threatening dangers, but important nonetheless. Treatments of this type are the primary focus of clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm BELLUS Health (BLU).

Specifically, BELLUS develops novel therapeutics for the treatment of chronic cough and other hypersensitization-related disorders, including chronic itching. These conditions can have a significant impact on patients’ quality of life, affecting their social, physical, and psychosocial well-being.

Making matters worse is the fact that currently approved treatment options are inadequate for, and non-specific to, the patients that suffer from these conditions. Thankfully, this tiny Canadian company is on a relentless quest to provide relief so that these patients can finally get their lives back.

A Closer Look at BLU Stock

BELLUS’s efforts could certainly help the patients and the medical community, but what about the financial stakeholders?

The good news is that prospective investors can take a position in BLU stock at a very affordable price point. We’re not talking about $140+ Moderna stock here, which has already shot up in price. At around $3 a share, BLU stock offers a true ground-floor opportunity.

Or perhaps, to continue with the blue theme, we should call it a blue-sky opportunity since the stock has previously rocketed all the way up to $12. Potentially, one piece of positive news could induce a repeat performance and a 400% or greater gain.

Long-time watchers of BLU stock might recall the time when it ascended from less than $3 to upwards of $7 in 2016. For all we know, the next melt-up in BLU stock might be just around the corner.

A Differentiated Treatment Option

Unlike occasional coughing fits, refractory chronic cough (RCC) is a very serious condition defined as a cough lasting eight or more weeks and which doesn’t respond to treatments for the underlying cause or is unexplained.

A largely untapped and unaddressed market exists for this condition as the patient population comprises up to roughly 9 million RCC patients in the United States. BELLUS’s primary product candidate, BLU-5937, is currently being developed for the treatment of RCC as well as chronic pruritus (itching).

BLU-5937’s mechanism is based on a highly selective P2X3 antagonist that has the potential to be a treatment option for both conditions – coughing and itching. Merck already demonstrated the efficacy of the P2X3 mechanism in treating RCC with the MK-7264 drug candidate; unfortunately, between 58% and 69% of the patients experienced the side effect of taste alteration or taste loss.

With BLU-5937, BELLUS seeks to differentiate itself with a treatment that’s both powerfully effective and comparatively free of unwanted side effects. And indeed, in a Phase 2 clinical trial, BLU-5937 achieved proof of concept in reducing cough frequency in RCC patients with no treatment-related serious adverse events or discontinuations, and with limited taste adverse events at all doses (≤ 10%).

Soothing Relief

Looking to achieve further milestones, BELLUS recently revealed that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 2b SOOTHE trial of BLU-5937 for RCC. The SOOTHE trial is a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating BLU-5937 for RCC in 300 participants.

Dr. Cathy Bonuccelli, Chief Medical Officer at BELLUS Health, called the SOOTHE trial “a promising step forward for the millions of chronic cough patients lacking an approved therapy” and expressed that she looks forward to conducting the trial and reporting the results in 2021.

Just a few days later, BELLUS announced that the company the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 2 BLUEPRINT trial of BLU-5937 for patients with chronic pruritus (itching) associated with atopic dermatitis.

The BLUEPRINT study will involve approximately 128 adult patients and will be performed at approximately 29 study centers located in Canada and the United States. BELLUS Health President and CEO Roberto Bellini aptly deemed the BLUEPRINT trial “a key step forward in evaluating BLU-5937’s potential broad applicability across chronic disorders triggered by hypersensitization.”

The Bottom Line

Unlike more famous but comparatively expensive drugmaker stocks, BLU stock offers powerful upside potential at a much more affordable price point.

And while chronic coughing and itching conditions aren’t necessarily immediately life-threatening, the treatments advanced by BULLUS Health could truly be life-affirming.