New drug bitopertin offers hope for sunlight pain relief in rare blood disorders

NCT ID NCT05883748

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This long-term study tests the safety and effectiveness of bitopertin (DISC-1459) in people with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) or X-linked protoporphyria (XLP), rare conditions that cause severe pain from sunlight exposure. About 230 participants who previously took bitopertin will continue treatment at one of two dose levels. The goal is to see if the drug can increase time spent in sunlight without pain and reduce related symptoms.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance

Bitopertin (also called DISC-1459)

What this could lead to

If it works, this could provide a long-term treatment option for people with EPP or XLP, allowing them to spend more time in sunlight without pain.

What could go wrong

This is an open-label extension study, so there is no placebo group for comparison. Side effects and long-term safety are still being evaluated, and the drug may not work for everyone.

Disclaimer Read more

This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

erythropoietic protoporphyria porphyria X-linked erythropoietic protoporphyria

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

    Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States

  • CHU de Nantes - Hôtel Dieu, Service de dermatologie

    Nantes, France, 44093, France

  • Centre d'Investigation Clinique (CIC) Hôpital Bichat - Claude-Bernard

    Paris, France, 75018, France

  • Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Allergology

    Berlin, Germany, 12203, Germany

  • Einstein Medical Center

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19141, United States

  • Erasmus MC

    Rotterdam, 3015 GD, Netherlands

  • Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

    Seattle, Washington, 98109, United States

  • Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

    London, England, SE1 9RT, United Kingdom

  • Hospital Clinic de Barcelona

    Barcelona, Spain, 08036, Spain

  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States

  • MetroBoston Clinical Partners

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02135, United States

  • Mount Sinai Hospital

    New York, New York, 10029, United States

  • Remington-Davis Clinical Research

    Columbus, Ohio, 43215, United States

  • Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

    Camperdown, New South Wales, 2050, Australia

  • The Royal Melbourne Hospital

    Parkville, Victoria, 3050, Australia

  • University of Alabama Hospital

    Birmingham, Alabama, 35233, United States

  • University of California San Francisco

    San Francisco, California, 94117, United States

  • University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

    Miami, Florida, 33136, United States

  • University of Texas

    Galveston, Texas, 77550, United States