Cough is heating up

There has never been a better time to be in cough medicine and science.

Up until recently, cough was extremely neglected. The last time the FDA cleared a new medication for reducing cough was 1958 (Tessalon). That's not a typo; 65 years passed with no new antitussive medications available to the many millions of Americans (5-10%) who suffer from chronic cough.

But things are changing. A new generation of cough-reducing medications are just around the corner. New targeted interventions - like P2X3 inhibitors and sodium channel blockers - have shown promise in clinical trials and will likely achieve FDA clearance in the comings months/years. Meanwhile, AI-powered cough detection and quantification tools (like Hyfe!) make the ability to monitor cough - remotely, unobtrusively, and in real-time - a reality.

And industry is waking up to the reality that chronic cough care is going to be a very large market. Last week, GSK acquired Bellus for $2 billion. Bellus' antitussive is one in an entire family of exciting molecules (like Nocion's sodium channel blocker and Merck's P2X3 inhibitor). And on the news of the Bellus acquisition, Trevi Therapeutics - which has its own antitussive - saw its stock double overnight.

The recent acquisitions and soaring stock prices of antitussives are a testament to the fact that cough is no longer being neglected. And this is great news, first and foremost, for people with chronic cough.

Cough is finally beginning to get the attention it deserves.