Prospects for a Novel K-Opioid Receptor Agonist, TRK-820, in Uremic Pruritus

Uremic pruritus is a common and frustrating symptom experienced by hemodialysis patients that provokes vigorous scratching, extensive excoriation, and sleep disturbance (1,2). A large-scale study of 2500 hemodialysis patients revealed that uremic pruritus is systemically induced with the total incidence reaching 73% (3). Forty percent of these patients had a moderate to severe itching, while 13 % of the patients suffered from sleep disturbance. The pathogenesis of uremic pruritus remains unclear.