Drug could be ‘gamechanger’ for people with chronic coughs

Thousands of Britons who cough uncontrollably often could be helped by a new drug.

A global trial led by the leading lung doctor found that Gefenant reduced a person's coughing by up to 60% and brought some relief to 70% of those who took it.

The professor of respiratory medicine at King's College hospital in London said that if the drug is approved, it will be the first new treatment for more than 50 years to alleviate the symptoms of the disease.

A persistent cough can last for more than eight weeks. Around 4% and 12% of people in the UK suffer from it. In many cases that is because they have a serious condition that affects their breathing. In some cases their cough has no obvious explanation.

It could be a game-changer in respiratory medicine.

Most patients with chronic cough respond well to it. In the trial, it was found to be effective. It's a big advancement in the field of cough.

It could be the first new drug in a long time. Thousands of patients would be suitable for this treatment.

Chronic cough sufferers have a limited social life because they don't want people to know they have a cough. Many get anxious, depressed or both. It can cause a person to cough so much that they end up with rib and muscle pain. Some people get headaches because of coughing so much.

There was a reduction in the number of coughs. People were less tired and slept better. Around 70% of patients received a clinically significant improvement in their quality of life. It is great news for patients.

The drug is being used in both Switzerland and Japan. The drug is being examined by the Federal Drug Administration. It would need to be licensed by the MHRA before anyone in the UK could get it.

One of the two international trials of the drug was conducted in the UK and involved over 2000 patients. The participants in the trials were given either a placebo or a dose of Gefenant.

All of the patients had unexplained chronic cough. When someone is in their 50s, two-thirds of those with chronic cough are females.

The researchers found that taking two 45g doses brought about significant reductions in the number of times a person coughs in a day.

Chronic cough is caused by hypersensitivity of the sensory nerves in their airway, which can be stimulated by temperature, humidity or air pollution.

Half of the trial participants were found to have lost their ability to taste when they were on the drug. Most decided that it was a price worth paying for the fall in the amount they coughed.

The results of the trials were welcomed by the charity.

The head of research and innovation said that the research could lead to a new treatment for chronic coughs.

A lot of people will have had a bad cough for a while. Some people have persistent coughs even though there is no cause for this.

Some people can't sleep without coughing and can suffer serious pain in their ribs and muscles.

She said that new treatments for people with long-term respiratory symptoms are rare because the government doesn't fund enough research.

The chronic cough that Patty Harris has had for 27 years has affected her life.

In 1995 my cough started. It is a very painful thing. King's College hospital in London, where I am a patient, have measured how often I cough, and it turns out that I cough about 660 times a day, but not at night.

It's not good to cough all the time. It affects my day to day life about eight or nine out of 10. It's tiring to cough all the time and it's distressing. A persistent cough is very hard to deal with.

You can't go to the cinema or theatre if you have coughing, so it's tedious. I don't have a lot of friends. I always book a seat on the end of a row if I go to a movie or play. If I eat a curry or a chili in a restaurant, the first mouthful makes me cough and it's very embarrassing.

Strong painkillers are the only way to suppress my cough. I take co-codamol tablets an hour before I perform. It can help to suppress the cough if I have some alcohol with it. If I do that, I pay a price the next day as I often feel unwell.

It might be worse. Some people don't leave their house because of their cough. It is so sad.

I read all the medical papers because I want to find a cure for my cough. I would like some peace before I die. I would like to be able to go out and not be embarrassed and not have to take a lot of pain killers. I've tried a lot of treatments, but they haven't helped.

I hope that the trials of the drugs for chronic cough are a success. People like me are desperate for treatments that work.

Denis Campbell was told as well.