Nocion Therapeutics announced it has raised $23 million from existing investors in an extension of its Series B financing, bringing the total Series B proceeds to $93 million as the company advances taplucainium, its investigational inhaled therapy for refractory or unexplained chronic cough.
The company said the funding extends its operating runway through 2027, beyond the expected topline readout from its ASPIRE Phase 2b clinical trial of taplucainium in adults with refractory or unexplained chronic cough, which Nocion expects in mid-2026. The ASPIRE study is currently enrolling at sites across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Europe.
Nocion also noted the new capital will support development of taplucainium dry powder for inhalation beyond the ASPIRE trial and fund later-stage activities, including preparation for an End-of-Phase 2 meeting and chemistry, manufacturing and controls work in advance of later-stage clinical development.
Taplucainium is described by the company as a first-in-class, locally delivered charged sodium channel blocker designed to selectively silence activated or inflamed airway nociceptors while minimizing local off-target effects and limiting systemic exposure. Nocion said taplucainium is dosed once daily and has shown rapid cough-silencing effects and a favorable adverse event profile in prior studies. The company also highlighted mechanistic differences from other investigational cough approaches such as P2X3 antagonists, positioning taplucainium’s broader access pathway to airway nociceptors as a potential differentiator.
Nocion framed the opportunity against a large unmet need, noting chronic cough is defined as lasting more than eight weeks and carries substantial physical and psychosocial burden. The company estimated that roughly 27 million U.S. adults suffer from chronic cough, including approximately 9 million with refractory or unexplained chronic cough, and said there have been no new therapy approvals in the category for decades, leading to widespread off-label use that may be inadequate or ineffective.
KEY QUOTES:
“We have made excellent progress enrolling patients in the ASPIRE Phase 2b trial and anticipate topline results in mid-2026. This financing gives us the runway to continue preparations for later-stage development as we look to position taplucainium as one of the leading potential treatments for the millions of people who suffer from chronic cough.”
Richard Batycky, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Nocion Therapeutics
“During the past year we have seen growing awareness across the pharmaceutical industry of the significant unmet need in chronic cough. With success in the ASPIRE study, we believe Nocion’s inhaled taplucainium has the potential to become best-in-class for refractory or unexplained chronic cough based on its differentiated mechanism.”
Pini Orbach, Ph.D., Managing Partner, Arkin Bio Capital
