Millions of people suffer from chronic cough, while more than 10 percent of them experience it without a clear underlying cause. Some have a chronic cough for decades. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment.
However, a new study conducted by the researchers at the University of Manchester has found that a new drug called Gefapixant is effective at treating chronic debilitating cough.
The researchers looked at more than 250 people who had suffered from cough but were otherwise healthy. They reported that they coughed at least 24 to 29 times per hour. The participants were either given Gefapixant twice a day or a placebo for 12 weeks.
After 12 weeks, the participants who received the drug reported a significant reduction in the frequency of their cough. On average, they coughed 11 times per hour. However, the study noted that the participants who received the placebo also reported a reduction; they coughed 18 times per hour.
Lead study author Prof. Jacky Smith from the University of Manchester said, “Many patients with chronic cough are driven to seek treatment because of the significant negative impact it can have on their quality of life, but at the moment physicians are unable to help.”
“Ours is the first study to report a treatment that is safe and effective over the longer term,” she added.
General Practitioner Dr. Gabrielle Macaulay, who treats hundreds of patients with coughs every year, told the BBC, “Within a robust diagnostic and treatment pathway, this new medicine may have a life-changing impact on the individual people affected by this condition.”
However, she cautioned that there could be some potentially harmful effects if the drug is prescribed instead of the medications that are more suitable.
“The wider issue is how will this medicine be used appropriately for patients who do not have another treatable cause for their cough,” said Dr. Macaulay. “There is a risk that this medicine could be over-prescribed for conditions where an alternative treatment could lead to a more favorable outcome.”
Nevertheless, people with chronic cough should see an expert because long-standing coughs could indicate a number of health issues, including chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPDs) and lung cancer. Chronic cough is one of the common symptoms of lung cancer, although most people may have chronic cough not related to cancer.
