Twice-daily pill that could see off a cough

HOPES of the first new cough treatment in 50 years were raised yesterday after scientists slashed symptoms with a twice-daily pill.

Doctors from the University of Manchester found a new drug could cut coughing by two thirds.

The treatment was shown in two trials to significantly aid people with chronic cough – those who have been coughing for more than eight weeks.

At the moment there is no way of treating these patients, some of whom have suffered with persistent symptoms for years.

In time researchers hope the drug, called gefapixant, will also be made available for the common cough.

The drug works by blocking the throat nerve which triggers the cough reflex. Most people with unexplained coughs are thought to have a hypersensitive cough nerve, meaning the slightest irritation sets them off. In a trial of 253 patients, published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal, those given a 50mg dose of the drug experienced a 67 per cent reduction in the frequency of their coughing. And those who only took a placebo pill also saw their cough incidence reduce by 30 per cent.

But the researchers said their findings still showed a significant impact on chronic coughing – and hope that two much bigger trials, with more than 1,800 participants in total, will confirm the power of the treatment.

The treatment promises to be a godsend to the 10 per cent of the British population who suffer from chronic coughs. But if it is made available for common coughs as well, it will benefit millions more.

Study leader Professor Jacky Smith, who treats patients at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, said: ‘ This drug has exciting prospects for patients who suffer from the often distressing condition of chronic cough.

‘Though it’s fair to say the drug is not a cure for chronic cough, it can and often does reduce the frequency of coughing substantially.’

She added that the drug ‘ could make a big difference to patients who often struggle with this condition which can make such a big impact on their lives’.