ArticleItch (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Kappa opioid agonists in the treatment of itch: just scratching the surface?
Article in Itch (Philadelphia, Pa.). The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- FDA-Approved Drugs Containing Amide Functionality in the Last Five Years (2021-2025): Pharmaceutical Use, Trends and Synthetic Approaches.Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Rational design of a Kappa opioid receptor peptide agonist with attenuated β-arrestin signaling.Nature communications · 2026Article
- OPRM1/MRGPRX1 heterodimers drive opioid-induced itch through a peripheral mechanism.Journal of biomedical science · 2026Article
- Dupilumab: an Additional Arrow in the Quiver for Prurigo Nodularis? Data From a Real-Life Setting.Dermatology practical & conceptual · 2025Article
- Xylazine and fentanyl co-administration delays wound healing in mice.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- The efficacy and safety of kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonists in patients with uraemic pruritus: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Clinical kidney journal · 2025Article
- Effects of Biased Analogues of the Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonist, U50,488, in Preclinical Models of Pain and Side Effects.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Effects of dezocine with ropivacaine on epidural analgesia during labor: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- The Dynorphin/-Opioid Receptor System at the Interface of Hyperalgesia/Hyperkatifeia and Addiction.Current addiction reports · 2025Review
- Soothing the Itch: The Role of Medicinal Plants in Alleviating Pruritus in Palliative Care.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Chronic pruritus is a debilitating condition affecting 23-44 million Americans. Recently, kappa opioid agonists (KOAs) have emerged as a novel class of potent antipruritic agents. In 2021, the Food and Drug Administration approved difelikefalin (Korsuva) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe pruritus associated with chronic kidney disease in adults undergoing hemodialysis. Difelikefalin is a potent, peripherally restricted KOA that is intravenously available. Although promising, difelikefalin is currently available as an intravenous composition only, limiting the scope of use. Oral formulations of difelikefalin did not meet the primary endpoint criteria in recent phase 2 clinical trials; however, additional clinical studies are ongoing. The future for KOAs in the treatment of pruritus is encouraging. Orally active pathway-biased KOAs, such as triazole 1.1, may serve as viable alternatives with broader applications. Extended-release compositions, such as the TP-2021 ProNeura subdermal implant, may circumvent the pharmacokinetic issues associated with peptide-based KOAs. Lastly, dual-acting kappa opioid receptor agonist/mu opioid receptor antagonists are orally bioavailable and may be useful in the treatment of various forms of chronic itch. In this review, we summarize the results of KOAs in clinical and preclinical trials and discuss future directions of drug development.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.