Cough: New Pharmacology

Abstract

Chronic coughing has a significant impact on the sufferer's quality of life. Despite this, licensed therapies are currently lacking, and until recently novel efficacious therapies for the treatment of chronic cough have remained elusive. In recent years, a first in class P2X3 antagonist has been found to be efficacious in patients with refractory chronic cough, stimulating much interest in the development of therapies for this problem. The aim of this review is to summarize the current state of development of novel therapies acting both in the peripheral and central nervous systems. Most programs are focused on treating patients with refractory chronic cough, but chronic coughing is also a problem in common respiratory diseases in spite of standard care. However, unraveling of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying cough will ultimately be needed to identify the relevant drug targets, better characterize patients, and match them to the most appropriate treatments.

Keywords: Airway nerves; Antitussive; Cough monitoring; Neuromodulators.