Current and emerging opioids for the treatment of chronic cough: a mini review

Zhang, Mengru; Morice, Alyn H.

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic cough has increasingly been recognized as a distinct clinical entity that affects a significant portion of the global population. Despite advancements in understanding its pathophysiology, treatment options remain limited. Opioid analgesics have long been used for cough, and some have proven clear antitussive potential. However, these have yet to be approved by regulatory authorities for the treatment of chronic cough. Several novel synthetic opioid modulators that demonstrated antitussive effects in early-stage studies also failed to translate into clinical practice. Areas covered: This mini review aims to summarize the implications of opioid receptors in the development of cough medicines and highlight recent advances in opioid analgesics in cough trials. PUB MED/CINAHL/Web of Science/Scopus was searched (September 2024). Expert opinion: Our understanding of the precise sites of action and the involvement of peripheral opioid receptors in cough remains limited. Despite these gaps in knowledge, opioids remain a viable option for some patients until more novel effective treatments are available. Due to the frequent opioid side effects, new opioid derivatives with improved properties are needed. The development of tailored or biased delta-opioid receptor ligands and mixed agonists of opioid receptor-like 1/mu receptors may offer hope for new opioid-based drug discovery for chronic cough.

Citation

Zhang, M., & Morice, A. H. (online). Current and emerging opioids for the treatment of chronic cough: a mini review. Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, https://doi.org/10.1080/14656566.2024.2418983

• Journal Article Type: Review
• Acceptance Date: Oct 16, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Oct 24, 2024
• Deposit Date: Nov 11, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 25, 2025
• Journal: Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy
• Print ISSN: 1465-6566
• Electronic ISSN: 1744-7666
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14656566.2024.2418983
• Keywords: Antitussive effect; Chronic cough; Cough hypersensitivity syndrome; Opiates; Opioid receptor
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4911275