When a cough is unexplained and unresponsive to treatment, a patient may be described as having cough hypersensitivity syndrome. Until now, there has been no safe, long-term treatment for this. A target for treatment could be reducing the hyper-excitability of the neuronal pathways involved in coughing.
Gefapixant blocks a receptor involved in the cough reflex.Previous studies found that gefapixant could reduce the frequency of coughing when given in a high dose (600mg) over two weeks and that doses as low as 50mg could reduce coughing over a four-day trial when given twice daily. The new trial, which lasted 12 weeks, was randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled to study how effective three different doses of gefapixant were and their associated side effects. "Many patients with chronic cough are driven to seek treatment because of the significant negative impact it can have on…
