Antitussives: the pharmacological pipeline

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Respiratory Medicine
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Limited development of new antitussives despite widespread availability of over-the-counter options.
• Recent studies using novel cough monitoring systems indicate a lack of efficacy for existing antitussives compared to placebo.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the unmet need and strategic opportunity for developing novel antitussive therapies.
• To explore potential mechanisms for next-generation antitussives.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing newly developed cough monitoring systems to assess antitussive efficacy.
• Reviewing advances in understanding the biology of cough.
• Observing pharmaceutical industry trends in antitussive pipeline development.

Main Results:

• Current over-the-counter antitussives demonstrate a lack of efficacy versus placebo.
• Significant progress in understanding cough biology creates avenues for new drug targets.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need for novel antitussive agents due to the inefficacy of current treatments.
• Future antitussives may focus on modulating the nervous system's urge-to-cough or facilitating expectoration for productive coughs.