Managing Chronic Cough Associated with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - Will Nalbuphine Fill an Unmet Need?

NEJM Evid. 2023 Aug;2(8):EVIDe2300126. doi: 10.1056/EVIDe2300126. Epub 2023 Jul 25.

Abstract

In this issue of NEJM Evidence, Maher et al.1 report the results of a randomized, controlled, 22-day treatment crossover trial comparing the antitussive effect of extended-release nalbuphine, an opioid agonist-antagonist, with placebo in a cohort of patients with definite or probable idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In this small, short-term trial of 38 evaluable patients, the active drug was associated with a 75.1% reduction in daytime objective cough frequency (the primary outcome) compared with a 22.6% reduction in placebo-treated patients, yielding a substantial and statistically significant 52.5 percentage point placebo-adjusted change from baseline.

Publication types

  • Editorial

MeSH terms

  • Analgesics, Opioid / therapeutic use
  • Antitussive Agents* / therapeutic use
  • Chronic Cough
  • Humans
  • Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis* / complications
  • Nalbuphine* / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Analgesics, Opioid
  • Antitussive Agents
  • Nalbuphine