Chocolate cure for persistent cough

An ingredient found in chocolate could be used to treat a persistent cough, researchers say.

The compound, called theobromine, is a naturally occurring substance found in cocoa and chocolate.

Now scientists have developed a drug containing the compound, which they say treats the root cause of a persistent cough rather than just easing the symptoms.

The drug is being developed by SEEK, a UK pharmaceutical company, and is expected to be on the market within two years.

Persistent cough - a cough that lasts for more than two weeks - is a common condition, affecting around 7.5 million people in the UK alone and over 800 million worldwide.

Most currently available cough products designed to control rather than alleviate the symptoms of a persistent cough are codeine-based.

However, in October this year, the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said that children under the age of 18 should not be given over-the-counter codeine-based medicines as the risks do not outweigh the benefits.

Trials conducted in Korea have shown that the new theobromine drug (BC1036) does not have any of the side effects associated with opioid drugs such as codeine. The researchers say theobromine acts by inhibiting "the inappropriate firing of the vagus nerve," a key feature behind a persistent cough.

“Thousands of people across the UK suffer from persistent cough, and due to the drawbacks of current opioid drugs such as codeine, we are in desperate need of a non-opioid treatment with a drastically improved side effect profile for patients," said Professor Alyn Morice from the Hull Cough Clinic.

The final stage of the clinical trial to test the drug is expected to start in the UK in the first half of 2011.

Manfred Scheske, chief executive of Consumer Health at SEEK, said: "I am very excited to announce the progression for the late-stage development of BC1036, which has the potential to dramatically impact the treatment of persistent cough and could greatly benefit the quality of life of persistent cough sufferers.”

This article was published on Tue 21 December 2010