Lung
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
The efficacy of a NOP1 agonist (SCH486757) in subacute cough.
Currently, opiates are widely used as antitussives but have substantial side effects. Recently, it has been proposed that NOP1 receptor agonists may be useful as a novel approach to cough suppression. Therefore, we compared the effect of NOP1 receptor agonist SCH486757 with matched placebo and codeine in a multicentre, double-blind, parallel-group study in patients with subacute cough. ⋯ There were some hints of possible limited antitussive efficacy with SCH486757. Unfortunately, the maximum clinical dose is limited by its tendency to produce somnolence. If the therapeutic ratio of NOP1 agonists could be improved, these drugs may still prove to contain effective antitussives.