A new drug Gefapixant 45 mg twice per day is the first treatment to show efficacy with an acceptable safety profile in phase 3 clinical trials for refractory chronic cough or unexplained chronic cough, revealed a study paper published in The Lancet.
If Gefapixant becomes available in the market, it is expected to become a ‘game changer’ in the field of respiratory medicine, by treating thousands of people suffering from severe or persistent cough.
A persistent cough is a cough that lasts for more than eight weeks. Chronic cough is responsible for a decrease in quality of life. Chronic cough affects approximately 5–10% of the global population. In UK itself, 4 to 12% of people suffer from it as per published reports.
Many patients with refractory chronic cough or unexplained chronic cough have a long-term disease with substantial deterioration in their quality of life.
Currently, there are no approved therapies for refractory chronic cough or unexplained chronic cough, and clinicians often rely on off-label treatments such as morphine, amitriptyline, gabapentin, pregabalin, and speech therapy. Thus, an unmet need remains for safe and effective medications for chronic cough.
The discovery of a new class of drugs—P2X3 receptor antagonists appear to be effective hope to this debilitating problem.
Gefapixant is an oral P2X3 receptor antagonist . As per the news report, a global trial conducted in 17 to 20 countries, involving nearly 2000 individuals found that the Gefapixant reduces chronic coughing in nearly 60 to 70 percent of people.
The news report also stated- the study indicated that some of the patients found that their taste ability was either affected or disappeared when they were consuming the drug. However, they later believed that the side effects are worth paying for as they are now relieved from coughing and not just that, they are now able to sleep better than they used to when they were coughing.
Here’s the link to the study papers https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02348-5/fulltext and https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02438-7/fulltext
Disclaimer: The content of this blog is for educational purpose only and not medical advice. Consult a registered medical doctor before taking any medicine.
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Categories: Life Sciences | Mistake-Proofing
Keywords and Tags:
#coughmedicine #gefapixant #Lancetstudy
If Gefapixant becomes available in the market, it is expected to become a ‘game changer’ in the field of respiratory medicine, by treating thousands of people suffering from severe or persistent cough.
A persistent cough is a cough that lasts for more than eight weeks. Chronic cough is responsible for a decrease in quality of life. Chronic cough affects approximately 5–10% of the global population. In UK itself, 4 to 12% of people suffer from it as per published reports.
Many patients with refractory chronic cough or unexplained chronic cough have a long-term disease with substantial deterioration in their quality of life.
Currently, there are no approved therapies for refractory chronic cough or unexplained chronic cough, and clinicians often rely on off-label treatments such as morphine, amitriptyline, gabapentin, pregabalin, and speech therapy. Thus, an unmet need remains for safe and effective medications for chronic cough.
The discovery of a new class of drugs—P2X3 receptor antagonists appear to be effective hope to this debilitating problem.
Gefapixant is an oral P2X3 receptor antagonist . As per the news report, a global trial conducted in 17 to 20 countries, involving nearly 2000 individuals found that the Gefapixant reduces chronic coughing in nearly 60 to 70 percent of people.
The news report also stated- the study indicated that some of the patients found that their taste ability was either affected or disappeared when they were consuming the drug. However, they later believed that the side effects are worth paying for as they are now relieved from coughing and not just that, they are now able to sleep better than they used to when they were coughing.
Here’s the link to the study papers https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02348-5/fulltext and https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02438-7/fulltext
Disclaimer: The content of this blog is for educational purpose only and not medical advice. Consult a registered medical doctor before taking any medicine.
Follow Shruti on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn
Categories: Life Sciences | Mistake-Proofing
Keywords and Tags:
#coughmedicine #gefapixant #Lancetstudy
