Management of Cough

The treatment of cough has undergone a significant change in the last few years. For acute cough due to viral respiratory tract infections the concept of wet/dry cough has been superseded by the realisation that cough suppression of the neuronal hypersensitivity caused by the virus is the key to successful therapy. Suppression of cough in a patient with otherwise normal lungs is a strategy which works across all "types" of cough and that spurious subdivisions are more to do with marketing than pharmacology.

For patients with chronic cough there has been a remarkable explosion of interest following the development of the first highly effective antitussive MK 7264. There are now five novel drugs in late stage development comprising of three different modes of action. In the coming years we will, at last, be able to effectively manage this common and disabling symptom. Current therapy is limited by a lack of knowledge of the underlying disease process in prescribers. This talk will outline measures which can be effective today as well as pointing to the exciting prospects of future developments in the field.